


Shots In the Shadows

by swhff



Category: Ghost Adventures (TV)
Genre: F/M, Horror, Paranormal Investigators
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-12
Updated: 2019-03-01
Packaged: 2019-10-08 14:36:37
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence
Chapters: 6
Words: 30,126
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17388197
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/swhff/pseuds/swhff
Summary: Newly rewritten. Story was first posted on Mibba back in 2012. It was in dire need of a face lift and a new audience. Story will still include Michael Wilde, but that is pretty much it.Ghost Adventures is the Travel Channel's top rated show. The show's popularity has exploded, and the amount of loyal fans has multiplied tenfold. However, things are not well on the home front, and Aaron cannot help but notice their world is beginning to crumble. The cause? Zak is convinced it is because of his work with the Demon House, a haunted portal to hell he bought, then destroyed, in Gary, IN. However, Aaron believes it may have started around the time their friend and still photographer, Jay's wife, Ashley Wasley, quit. Then, Nick was suddenly gone. Afterwards, it was one crew member after the other. With the stress taking its toll on the Ghost Adventures Crew, Aaron and Zak are determined to find balance, and what, or who, made them so passionate about their work.





	1. Chapter 1

Aaron opened his SUV door to warm, dry wind and the faint sounds of wind chimes. He stepped down onto the concrete driveway, stuffing his keys into the pocket of his shorts with his cell phone. He reached over the console, grabbed the strap of a messenger bag, containing this month’s PO box mail. He pulled his travel mug from the cup holder, then closed his door and locked it.   
Outside, the sun was beginning to set against the trees, and Aaron, being a creature of the night, was just beginning his day. He had spent the late afternoon working on orders for his clothing line, “Big Steppin,” and after picking up a bite to eat, he stopped by the PO box to retrieve some fan mail. His plan was to drop them off at his best friend’s house. He thought, if nothing else, it would put a smile on his face. It would be the first Aaron had seen Zak Bagans smile in weeks.   
The past two years had been rough on the Ghost Adventures crew. Although the show had grown dramatically in popularity, things had also spiraled out of control. Zak’s purchase and investigation of a demon infested house in Gary, Indiana brought everything to a head. They had lost crew members, including lost long time investigator and friend, Nick Groff. Of course, Zak promoted other crew members to fill in, but things still felt out of balance.  
On top of being shorthanded, Zak’s stay in the Demon House had affected him so negatively, he developed diplopia, an eye condition that causes permanent double-vision. He had recently attempted to have his condition corrected through surgery, but with the threat of blindness, the hope of regaining his vision was gone. Ever since, he had become increasingly quiet and distant from his friends, and Aaron was determined to bring his friend out of his current depression.   
Aaron padded up to Zak’s front door and reached for the door handle. Inside, he could hear the television blaring and Gracie barking. He pushed the heavy iron and glass door open. 

“Hey, G,” Aaron called over the noise, his voice echoing off of the rock walls and concrete floor.

He shuffled inside to a large room, decorated in ornate wooden furniture. The rock fireplace held a large flatscreen TV, on which was showing a random set of commercials. Aaron looked around as he set his bag down on a console table. The room was seemingly empty, with only Gracie sniffing at his leg.

“Za-“

Before he could finish, an arm shot up from the couch.

“Hey,” came Zak’s weak voice.

Aaron nodded to himself and walked around the couch. He was no less than shocked when he saw Zak.  
The man was a shell, laying on the couch with his legs under a blanket, his cell phone on his chest, and his glasses resting crooked on his nose. He did not make eye contact with Aaron for a brief moment. Aaron shuddered. 

“Jesus, bro!” he breathed out, “Are you sick?”

Zak looked up at his friend from the television and quickly snapped out of it. 

“Nah, man. I’m good. Just chilling,” he replied.

Zak kicked his blanket over and sat up, readjusting his glasses and reaching for his hat on the coffee table. He covered his limp hair, then stood up and hugged Aaron. 

“It’s good to see you, bro,” he said. 

Aaron smiled at that and happily welcomed the hug. 

“Yeah, man. You, too. It’s been a minute,” he said with a laugh. 

Zak gave him a small smile and led Aaron to the kitchen. 

“I know,” Zak agreed, “You want something to drink?”

Aaron grabbed his bag from the table and followed in step behind Zak. 

“Yeah, sure. Water’s fine,” he replied. 

Zak opened the stainless steel refrigerator and grabbed two bottles of water, tossing one to his friend. Aaron caught it and cracked it open. 

“Still hot out there, G?” Zak asked. 

Aaron swallowed and shook his head. 

“Nah. It’s nice out now,” he replied. 

Zak nodded and walked up to the center island. 

“What’s in the bag?” he asked curiously. 

Aaron grinned and reached into the bag, producing dozens of letters. 

“Mail time!” he said happily, “The post office was begging me to come pick these up. Besides, I thought you could use something to cheer you up.”

Zak blinked tiredly, but Aaron inwardly rejoiced when a small smile crossed the investigator’s lips. 

“You know you haven’t been yourself lately,” Aaron said softly. 

Zak’s eyes flickered up to meet Aaron’s. He shuffled his feet against the concrete floor. 

“Yeah, I know,” he replied in defeat. 

Aaron stared at the granite countertop, thinking carefully about how to word his next question. 

“Is there something wrong, dude?” he asked worriedly. 

Zak crossed his arms over his arms, his eyes also trained on the gray speckles in the granite.

“You still feeling side effects from the house?” Aaron pressed. 

Zak shook his head. 

“No, it’s not from the house,” he replied. 

Aaron nodded, relieved. 

“Is it because of your eyes?” he asked. 

Zak shook his head briskly. 

“No! No, I’ve come to peace with that,” he replied. 

Aaron studied Zak. Zak dropped his arms and gripped the edge of the island. 

“I’m serious, Aaron. I’m good with that. I still have my eyesight and for that I’m grateful,” he continued. 

Aaron nodded, satisfied with Zak’s response. Zak sighed and reached into his pocket for his cell phone. He unlocked it and opened an email. He said nothing as he handed it to Aaron. Aaron took the device from his hand and turned it around to read it. At first, he was confused. However, after thoroughly reading the text, his shoulders dropped. 

“Damn!” he groaned. 

Zak slowly nodded, clenching his jaw. Aaron set Zak’s phone down. 

“Another?” he asked 

Zak slowly nodded. 

“Another crew member,” he replied, “Ever since I bought that damn house, we’ve been losing crew members left and right. And half of them haven’t even been affected!”

“They were just too scared to stay,” Aaron agreed, eyes wide. 

Zak nodded. 

“Exactly,” he said, then groaned, “It’s my fault.”

Aaron shrugged. 

“Well, we’ll find new people,” he said. 

With the popularity the show had accumulated, he was not worried about it. Sure, it slowed production, but he seldom noticed a change. However, he was also not in Zak’s shoes. He did not have to deal with the network so much. 

“Aaron, this is the most people we’ve lost at once to date!” Zak exclaimed, “If we keep on like this, they’re going to find a way to stop us from filming until they get more people hired.”

Aaron sighed. 

“We don’t know that for sure, though,” he said, trying his best to bring optimism to the room. 

Zak swallowed and nodded.

“We need to hire people that can handle this stuff better,” Zak said, slowly making his way to Aaron’s side, “Maybe building a strong foundation here will somehow filter out to production.”

Aaron smiled. Zak’s serious resolve broke and he smiled as he reached for Aaron’s bag.

“What’d ya bring me, G?” he asked. 

Aaron grinned. 

“I knew this would cheer you up!”

Zak and Aaron spent the following two hours reading letters and giggling at some silly collages and gifts their fans had sent them. Aaron was simply happy to see his best friend raise his head from the dark pool of depression he seemed to have been drowning in for the past few weeks.   
The two paranormal investigators later found themselves on the couch, a cooking show playing on low volume in the background while they made silly Snapchat videos. Zak was looking into his phone’s camera, laughing loudly at a face Aaron was making in the background. It felt good to laugh again, as if the rush was washing away the darkness, if only for a little bit. It reminded him of the vlogs they used to make in the earlier seasons of Ghost Adventures. It was a simpler time, and his crew he had then had been all in. His current crew was still there for the long haul, but after losing two main members and only having a backup cameraman part-time, the dreaded search of hiring new members was staring him in the face. 

“If only we could find someone who could handle this shit,” Zak spoke up. 

Aaron stared at his friend, lost. It took him a moment before he realized what Zak was talking about. The subject of the crew had not come up in hours. 

“Like, veteran paranormal investigators?” Aaron asked. 

Zak shrugged. 

“Maybe,” he replied distantly, “Just someone with some balls.”

Aaron sighed. 

“You know, as much as I wouldn’t trade what we have now for the world,” he began.

Zak looked over to his best friend, peeling his eyes from the television. Aaron looked up at him and gave him a sad smile. 

“I sometimes miss the old days,” he finished. 

Zak gave him a small smile. 

“Yeah, me, too,” he replied quietly. 

Zak settled deeper into the couch, eyes glued back on the television, but his mind a million miles away. He began to wonder where everything changed, and how he could somehow bring that fresh excitement back to himself and his crew.


	2. Omens

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Zak senses trouble with an old friend, and gives her a call.

Zak went to bed shortly after Aaron left that night, falling asleep just a little after midnight. For the first time in weeks, he actually felt tired enough to lay his head down on his pillows and obtain a decent night’s sleep. His time spent with his best friend lifted his spirits, and laughter filled his living room for the first time in what seemed like forever. Their few hours spent together pumped the home full of positive energy. Zak knew that his home’s atmosphere was part of his problem, but he had not felt motivated enough to do anything about it. Now that his darkness was lifted and his stomach hurt from laughing, he wondered why he had not done anything about it sooner.   
The happiness soon faded as Zak slept. He was no stranger to nightmares. In his line of work, terrors of his subconscious were part of the job. They were so frequent, it did not think twice about them when he woke up. However, tonight’s feature was slightly different. There were no ghosts, demons, or other frightening creatures. No blood or guts, teeth being pulled, or eyes being gouged out. No, tonight’s nightmare was something far more sinister, and all too real. Dreams of omens spooked him the most.   
Zak could feel the dream was different as soon as it began. He felt like he was watching a video, rather than actually being there. He saw the sky, which was a dark blue-green, and mountains in the distance. Suddenly, he was sucked into the dream. The sky went dark, and he was surrounded in fire. Scared, he backed up and fell backwards. As he fell into the flames, he screamed in anticipation for being burned. However, when he fell, the flames retracted, as if he repelled them. Curious, he reached for a flame. Smoke wisps arose from his fingertips, and the flame shrank. Discovering that he was not going to be burned, he rolled onto his knees and stood to his feet, as he did, the fire disappeared.  
He looked up to see a vacant two-lane highway. The sky had returned to blue. The land around him was familiar desert. He dusted his knees off and looked around. The sun appeared from behind a cloud, and a crow cawed at him. The bird was so loud, he jumped, clutching his chest. A black crow swooped over his head and landed on a street sign. When he read the sign, his heart stopped. On the sign read “Flagstaff, Arizona.” A feeling of doom settled over Zak. He recognized the crow as a common omen of his. Though commonly thought of as an omen of death, in Zak’s experience, it meant something bad was going to happen. He was not sure how to decipher the fire, or why he repelled it, but seeing the crow land on the sign, he knew exactly what that meant.   
Zak woke up with a loud gasp. He sat straight up in bed, sweat drenching his brow. His dog, Gracie, who had been sleeping in her bed nearby, jumped awake at the sound of her master’s voice. Zak coughed a little and took a deep breath. When he registered that he was indeed awake, and digested what he had dreamed, he jumped into action. He ripped his cell phone off of its charger on the end table, then unlocked it. The screen read 2:01 A.M. Though he was used to being up at this hour from years of lockdowns with his show, no normal person would be up at this hour. However, Zak was determined to make contact, regardless of what time it was.   
He scrolled down through his contacts list to the very bottom, where a name he had not seen show up on his screen in years, sat below fellow Ghost Adventures crew member, Billy Tolley’s, phone number. He took a deep breath and clicked on the name. This was an ungodly hour for a phone call, much less a Facetime call, but he could not help it. He had a bad feeling that something was wrong. Perhaps it was his highly sensitive intuition, and maybe his dream had spooked him. Either way, he was calling her.  
On the screen, Zak clicked on the name “Mikey Wilde,” and the phone began to ring. Michael Wilde, or Mikey, as the crew called her, had been the crew’s still photographer for seasons two through five of the show. She had shown an aptitude for paranormal communication, and an incredible ability for processing and handling interactions with darker spirits. Zak and his guys had never seen anything like it. In his experience, women always had a hard time with spiritual interaction. The darker forces seemed to go after the most vulnerable, which were usually women, the elderly, and young adults and children. Michael had an extraordinary natural block against these forces, and it made her a great addition on lockdowns. Zak had wanted her to be their fourth investigator by season five, but things quickly went down the toilet before filming on the first episode was completed.  
On screen, the ringing ended, and the call connected. 

***

I had never been one to sleepwalk. In fact, as a kid, I never believed in it. However, this sleep condition became more and more of a recurring issue as I grew older. Most of it was relatively benign. Getting halfway dressed. Eating something and leaving crumbs or wrappers in the bed. However, tonight was different. I wasn’t sure if you could call if sleepwalking, because I have no idea if what I saw was real.   
I awoke to the sound of rustling and murmurs. I live in an apartment by myself. No roommates, no pets, and possibly the quietest neighbors anyone could ever ask for. So, when I woke up to three masked figures in my room, I hit the floor running. I screamed when I first laid eyes on them. My initial thought was that some guys had broken in and were going to murder me. I had no beef with anyone. No connections with anyone to speak of, really. So, when I opened my eyes to intruders, I was on the brink of a heart attack.   
I jumped out of bed and my world whirled around me. I tried to stumble into the hallway, but my vision went black, and when I finally regained my eyesight, I was tangled in my blankets on the floor of my bedroom. Certain I was awake, I jumped to my feet and quickly turned on the lamp on my bedside table. The room was illuminated by a soft, warm light. No men to speak of.  
I grabbed my cell phone from its spot on the table, then darted out of my room. Cautious, I made my way down the hall and into the living room. The room was dark, with the exception of a nightlight in the kitchen and the blue street light coming in through the blinds. I reached for the lights on a nearby wall and flicked them on.

“Hello?” I asked. 

There was no response. I crept into the kitchen and as quietly as I could, removed a butcher knife from a drawer. I lifted my cell phone, selected my mom’s phone number from my contacts, and called her. It took a few tries to reach her, as it was nearly 2:00 AM. 

“Hello?” my mom answered groggily. 

“Hey,” I said lowly, sinking behind the counter, “I don’t know what’s going on. I might have been dreaming. I could’ve sworn I saw three guys in my room.”

My mom spluttered, now very much awake. 

“Did you call the cops?” she exclaimed. 

“No! Like I said. I thought I was dreaming,” I replied.

“Michael, you make sure before you do anything! Now, I’m serious,” she ordered.

I moved from behind the counter to the front door. I reached for the knob and turned it. The door was locked, as I had locked it before I went to take a shower. The deadbolt was still closed, and the chain was still up. 

“I am, Mom!” I replied, frustrated, “The door is still locked. Let me check the windows.”

She huffed. I moved to the windows in the living room, as well as the bathroom and the bedroom. They were all locked, and there were no intruders to speak of. 

“Did you check the closet?” my mom asked. 

Knife at the ready, I peaked into my closet. I pulled the chain, turning the light on. Inside was so cluttered, even a rat couldn’t fit. I moved my clothing and luggage around anyway. All clear. 

“I’m pretty sure now I was dreaming,” I said. 

My mom sighed in relief. As she did, I heard a noise from the living room that made me jump. 

“What?” my mom screamed. 

I said nothing as I peered out of my room and into the hallway. Outside, I saw a pile of mail that had been sitting on the end table scattered on the carpet. I let out a deep breath. 

“It was just some mail. I must have bumped the table,” I replied.

My mom growled. 

“I don’t like this. You double-check and make sure,” she said. 

I walked out of the bedroom and into the living room. 

“Mom, how many places could someone find to hide in a one bedroom apartment?” I retorted.

“I don’t care, Michael. Pack a bag. I’m going to come to pick you up,” she stated.

I closed my eyes as I picked up the envelopes and catalogs and placed them back on the table. 

“Mom! I’m fine!” I whined. 

“Pack,” was all she said before hanging up. 

I groaned and let my arm fall to my side. 

A tap came from the front door, startling me. I swallowed thickly and tip-toed to the door. Outside the peephole, there was nothing. I quietly checked the locks again. They were secure.  
I let out a shaky breath. When my phone rang again, I yelped and nearly jumped out of my skin. I looked at the screen, expected to see my mom’s number. Instead, a FaceTime call was coming in, the name “Zak” on screen. I stared at the phone in disbelief. Just when I thought I had ghosts…  
I accepted the call and padded over to the couch. On screen, a face I had not seen in nearly eight years came on, and I was surprised to see him not in a black on black ensemble with a decrepit building as his background, but bare shoulders and a warmly lit bedroom. A shadow covered the right side of his face, but it was definitely Zak Bagans. 

“Zak?” I asked. 

He smiled.

“Hey, Mikey,” he replied. 

Suddenly, I felt extremely relieved. The shakiness in my hands I had not realized was happening, calmed, and my breathing regulated. 

“Jesus, it’s been a minute!” I breathed out. 

Zak just smiled. 

“It has,” he agreed. 

I checked the time on the stove clock. 2:11.

“What the hell are you calling me at this hour for?” I asked playfully. 

He laughed at that. 

“I had a bad feeling, Mikes. Thought I should call and see if you were alive,” he replied. 

I tucked my legs underneath me and looked away. 

“Damn your intuition,” I said. 

Zak’s smile faded. 

“Was I right?” he asked. 

I nodded.

“What’s going on? Are you okay?” he asked worriedly. 

“I think I’m okay. I just had a dream that three guys broke into my apartment. I thought it was real, but I must have been dreaming.”

Zak sighed. 

“Holy shit,” he said lowly, “Are you sure you’re okay?”

I nodded.

“I called my mom. She’s going to come pick me up. I’ll stay at her house for the night,” I said. 

Zak nodded. 

“Good,” he said.

I finally cracked a smile. 

“Well, since I haven’t talked you in so long, how the hell are ya?” I asked playfully. 

Zak grinned. 

“I’m alright,” he said. 

He moved to the side, the shadow covering half of his face vanishing.

“Let me get my glasses,” he said. 

He moved his hand as he leaned over, his phone’s camera panning across his bare chest. I bit my lip, wondering if he was doing so on purpose. When he reappeared again, he was wearing black rimmed glasses over his eyes. 

“Can’t see the screen anymore?” I teased.

Zak snorted.

“Can’t see shit,” he replied, “Besides a nightmare, how have you been?”

I felt my amusement fall to the wayside. 

“Up and down. Shit’s been bad,” I replied. 

Zak frowned. 

“What’s been going on, Mikey?” he asked softly, “You never even told me why you left.”

I nodded. 

“I know,” I whispered. 

His dark blue eyes were trained on me through the screen. 

“You know you can talk to me. Any time. Anywhere,” he reminded me. 

I gave him a small smile.

“I know,” I repeated, “I just…It’s hard to talk about. But, it just seems like ever since I left, shit’s been going out of control.”

Zak nodded, still watching me carefully, listening and taking in my words.

He had always been good at that. I had briefly worked with his crew on Travel Channel’s Ghost Adventures for three seasons—nearly four. Living in Las Vegas. Working with three of the best guys I had ever met. I had had a blast, and made friends for life. Nick, Zak and Aaron had been my brothers. Nick and I were not so close, but Aaron had become a big brother to me, and Zak, a hero to look up to and a shoulder to cry on. I had missed them ever since. 

“What about you?” I asked, steering the attention away from myself, “I heard about Nick. Not too many details, but I know he’s not with the crew anymore.”

Zak looked away to the lamp beside him.

“Yeah,” he said quietly, “It wasn’t good. It’s a long story.”

I just nodded. Zak perked up.

“But, things have been okay. A little rocky, as of late, but good. I’ve been okay.”

“How’s your asthma?” I asked, “Allergies?”

Zak laughed. 

“Always worrying about my bullshit,” he teased.

“Well, your fragile ass worried me!” I bit back.

Zak burst out laughing. 

“Allergies are pretty much under control. Asthma’s good. Eyes are getting worse, but hey! Can’t have it all,” he replied.

I smiled.

“You’re getting old, Zacky boy,” I sang. 

Zak just laughed. 

“Dammit, I missed you,” he said, laying down on his side, “Why don’t you come back to Ghost Adventures? You know your job was always here waiting for you. Even when we had Ash, you know I would have a job you could do.”

“Because shit here wouldn’t chill out,” I replied, “I’ve just…I’ve been in a bad head space.”

Zak frowned. He didn’t want to hear that. One could see it in his eyes. Mentioning bad mental health made him worry more than anything. 

“Why didn’t you call me?” he asked, tone now far more serious.

“Zak, I didn’t want to bother you with my shit!”

“Fuck that!” he snapped, then calmed down, “You are and always will be mine and Aaron’s best friend. I know we’ve been shitty and have neglected to contact you, but you were our friend then and still are. That never changed!”

I smiled at that. It had been years since I had seen the boys, much less received a phone call. It was nice to know that after all this time, Zak was still fiercely loyal. I should had never doubted him. 

“What are you doing this weekend?” he asked, voice now calmer. 

I shrugged. 

“Nothing that I know of,” I replied. 

He smiled.

“Why don’t you come up to Vegas for day or so?” he suggested, “Come hang out with us. You can clear your head. I know we have some catching up to do! That’s for damn sure!”

I laughed.

“Zak, I would love to, but I can’t afford to come up there. Not at the moment, anyway.”

“For God sake, Mikes! I’ll pay for your plane ticket!” he exclaimed, “I was going to do it, anyway.”

I snorted.

“For a 20 minute plane ride?” I asked. 

Las Vegas was only four hours away.

“How about this?” he asked, “What if I come pick you up tomorrow? Stay at my place for a few days?”

I let his proposal sink in. It honestly sounded wonderful, but I was still hesitant. 

“Oh shit! Is there…is there a guy in the picture? Shit! I should’ve asked!” he panicked. 

I burst out laughing. 

“No! There’s no one. I’m just me all alone on my own,” I replied. 

Zak smiled at that.

“Then, what do you say? Come to Vegas with me?” he asked. 

I sighed. How could I say no?

“I’m off tomorrow, but I need to be back by Sunday night,” I said. 

A wicked smile crossed his lips. 

“I drive fast,” he said. 

I laughed. Lord knew he did!

“Text me your address. I’ll be there by noon,” he replied. 

“Sounds like a plan,” I replied.

He just smiled.

“Has your mom made it yet?” he asked. 

I shook my head, suddenly remembering to pack an overnight back. I climbed to my feet and moved down the hall.

“Shit! I forgot to pack. She should be here any minute,” I said.

Zak shrugged. 

“Well, I’ll stay on the line until she gets there. Make sure you stay safe.”

I felt a warmth spread through me. Zak had always been protective, but it just felt good to have that again.   
My mom arrived not two minutes later. I stuffed my things into my backpack and grabbed my keys, still on call with Zak. 

“Tell Marni I said hi,” he said. 

I laughed.

“I will. Hey, Zak?”

“Yeah, Mikey?” he asked. 

I watched him for a moment, almost hating that the call was over. I hadn’t realized how much I had missed him until I saw him again. Of course, I still religiously watched the show I used to be a part of, but it was not the same as seeing the true, raw Zak Bagans, limp hair, tired eyes and all. 

“Thanks for being psychic,” I said playfully. 

Zak smiled and grinned.

“I’m not psychic!” he laughed, “Just highly sensitive.”

I bit my lip. There must still be a connection there. When we worked together, it only took him a week before he was in-tune with me. The magic of being an empath. 

“Whatever. Anyway, thanks for staying on the line with me,” I said. 

Zak’s smile was nothing less than loving. 

“Of course, Michael. Miss you. Love you. I’ll see you around noon,” he said. 

For the first time in years, I felt my spirit lift. 

“Love you, too. I’ll keep an eye out for whatever demonic whip you decide to pull up in,” I quipped. 

Zak burst out laughing. 

“You’ll see. Sleep well, Mikes.”

“You, too,” I replied. 

The call ended. Aside from my mom fussing over me until I fell asleep in my old bedroom at 4:00 AM, I was over the moon. I was going to be reuniting with old friends. Zak’s innate ability to sense something was wrong had not failed him yet. Little did I know, I needed this.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As of 1/17/19, chapter three is halfway finished. Let me know what you guys think so far in the comments! Thanks for reading!


	3. Old Friends

Zak was dressed, stuffed from breakfast, packed, and on the road by 8:00 AM. He forced himself to take a breath and had to use all of his willpower not to head out an hour earlier. He was excited. He had been too hyped to sleep much more after his call with his old friend. His mind raced and adrenaline pumped. He had thought after a few years of her absence that he would never hear from their former still photographer again. Now, he had renewed hope that maybe, just maybe, he could persuade Michael to rejoin the team. Not only had she made a great addition, and not only had he had a crush on her, but she had saved his life once.  
Zak remembered being bored out of his mind as he and former co-investigator Nick Groff spent countless hours reviewing portfolios. It was a game of tug-of-war with the network. If they liked a photographer, Travel did not, and vice-versa. A large percentage of the portfolios were amazing, but they were just not speaking to the Ghost Adventures Crew. When one did, and they interviewed the photographer, they never really seemed to click. No one seemed to be a perfect match until one day, while Aaron was surfing through whatever app he was one. Instagram? Twitter? Zak could not remember. All he could recall were the amazing photos and posts he saw. Creepy architectural shots, gorgeous landscape shots, and compelling candids from various events and situations. She even had blog posts on the paranormal. They had emailed her that night and flew to Las Vegas for an interview the next day.  
Zak remembered Michael had not been like the others. She was not some professional hard ass, nor was she a crazed fan taking the job because Travel Channel’s name was on it. They simply clicked, and to Zak, that was the most important factor. It did not take them long to become friends. He remembered how nervous she was at first. She had seemed most comfortable with Aaron. Of course, Aaron was everyone’s best friend. He took her under his wing. As a fellow photographer, they got along instantly. Michael’s relationship with Nick was not as immediate, but she never seemed as nervous around him as she had been with Zak.  
Zak knew the presence he exuded. He was egotistical, at times a loudmouth, and even he had to cringe at how much of a douchebag he came off to be. However, he had never been disrespectful. He had been friendly, often competing with Aaron for her attention. Those first few days on the road together were full of Aaron making her roar with laughter, Zak saying something stupid, and her laughing nervously at him. He would laugh it off, call himself a nerd to ease the tension, then mentally cut himself down for showing off. However, he found that she also listened to his every word when playtime was over, and work began. She absorbed his information like a sponge. Then, she started asking questions, and intelligent conversations were happening. It took her more than a few weeks to get used to his dry sense of humor and his serious manner when Aaron was goofing off. However, when she did get a feel for him, they began to connect.  
Michael liked to do a lot of the activities he liked to do on the road that the guys detested. Zak often liked to visit their location’s nearby antique and junk stores in search of treasures of the macabre. Aaron was often game, but one day while Nick was asleep and Aaron was sick, Zak decided to ask Michael. It was not that he was incapable of exploring the town by himself, but he enjoyed having company while shopping. When he asked her, she replied with a shrug and followed in step with him to the strip of stores down the block. The beginning of the exploration was quiet. She was never one to talk much around him. However, the end of their quest was filled with jokes and laughter. That was how their friendship had been ever since. She would laugh at the jokes the guys rolled their eyes at, play along with his lame ideas, and put him in a state of shock when he would cut himself down, and she would turn it around with her honest opinion. He, in turn, did the same for her.  
During those two seasons, she had stabilized him. She provided peace in his unpredictable life. Nothing about his world seemed to phase her. Not when he was spooked by a shadow figure. She would look at it with no reaction. She had been having paranormal experiences all of her life. None of it bothered her. Ghosts existed. That was part of life. That was her normal. It was oddly peaceful to the crew when they were in the middle of a freakout, and she would stare at them like they were crazy. Of course, they thought she was crazy when a rock was thrown at her, or a book was slung off the shelf by an unseen force, and she would not even blink. It fascinated Zak. Especially when it came to demonic entities.  
When he or his guys were being affected by dark forces, she would standby patiently. The after effects of a difficult lockdown would leave Aaron and Nick quiet, and Zak often violent. He would curl up in a corner of the van, gritting his teeth in pain and rage, and it would dissipate as soon as she put a hand on his shoulder. When he discovered this, he found a whole new world of possibilities. It had always been difficult to cleanse himself. He had a hard time closing himself off from spirit energy, forget grounding himself. Aaron had always been better at that. There was something about their energies that meshed perfectly.  
Aaron had had a theory about this. If they took elements into account, it all made perfect sense. Aaron leaned more toward the element of spirit. He could see auras. He held a deep interest in art, music, and magic. He said that Zak was undeniably water. Zak had such an attraction to anything water. The ocean, swimming pools, fountains. Water personalities tended to be sensitive and intuitive. Zak was a paranormal sensitive, and often showed strong qualities of an empath. It was extremely clear that Michael was Earth. She mothered the guys, always on Zak’s case about his well-being. Her favorite locations on the show were always the outside episodes. Forests, cemeteries, etc. Things seemed to slow down when he was around her, and aside from her extremely well-built wall against negative energy, she was a natural ground. Water can rage out of control. Earth stabilized. Yet, she had empathic qualities as well, and Zak had not realized she was capable of them until one night close to the end of season four when her bond with him saved his life. 

***

When I returned home that morning after the night’s upsets, my mom was, needless to say, not too happy when I told her what my plans were for the weekend. 

“I’m going to head up to Zak’s place and chill for a night,” had not been met with positive reception. 

My mother liked the Ghost Adventures crew. However, she had liked them better before she met them. Zak’s tendency to party and bring girls over had, for lack of a better phrase , pissed her off. She thought he was a manipulative asshole. When they first met, Zak was nothing but kind and respectful. Of course, I hated how he acted with these rich, blonde Vegas girls, but that was none of my business. He eventually began to grow out of that. We were best friends—family. My mom didn’t understand it. In not seeing Zak in so long, and then he’s suddenly driving to Flagstaff to pick me up for the weekend? I could see where she was coming from.  
I was nervously getting ready when I heard a knock at the door. Startled, I left my bathroom. My makeup was done, but my hair was still up in a clip. Hell, I was still in my pajamas! It was just 11:00 AM.

“What the hell?” I murmured to myself. 

I walked up to the front door and peered through the peephole. Outside, all I could see was a figure in black, spiky black hair pointed at the door as the figure kept their head down. I felt my heart leap into my throat. I knew that spiky hair anywhere.

“Zak?” I asked. 

I opened the door, and sure enough, it was the man himself. He looked up from shuffling his shoes, then smiled warmly. 

“Hey, Mikey!” he said happily. 

A rush of emotions I could not begin to untangle washed over me. Overwhelming relief, raw excitement, sheer happiness. 

“Oh my God!” I breathed out, “Get in here!”

Zak laughed and stepped inside. I shut the door behind us and reached up to hug him. 

“I know I’m a little early,” he began. 

I shook my head. I honestly didn’t care. This reunion was far overdue. 

“That’s okay,” I murmured into his chest.

Zak’s massive arms tightened around me, squeezing just a little too tight. When we parted, his hands never left my shoulders. 

“How are ya doing? Did the rest of the night go okay?” he asked, concerned. 

I smiled. 

“Yeah, it was fine. Relatively uneventful. Well, aside from my mom getting pissed about my weekend plans,” I replied. 

Zak just smiled. That was when I really looked at him. Eight years had gone by since we had seen each other in person. He was still the same old Zak, but there were some subtle differences eight years had made. First and foremost, his teeth. 

“She still hates me?” he asked. 

“She’ll get over it. Come into the kitchen where there’s some light. Let me look at you.”

Zak huffed.

“Mikey!” he whined. 

“Come here!”

I pulled him by the arm into the kitchen, flicking on the light as I walked by. When I finally got to see him in the light, I was floored. For his age and all the shit he had been through, he looked amazing. Zak don’t crack.  
Zak pretended to hate every second of my studying his face. I touched his jaw and turned his head to the side. His face had filled out a little, the edges of his hairline starting to recede, deep wrinkles were forming around his eyes, and his mustache and goatee were speckled with gray. I had to smile at that. Of all the vigorous covering up her did on his hair, skin, and teeth, he let those go. His eyes were bright behind his glasses, and for once since I had met him, I could not sense any darkness. 

“You look good, Zak,” I said, then smiled and ran a thumb over his chin, “Getting old there, sunshine.”

Zak playfully swatted my hand away. 

“Stop,” he laughed. 

His teeth, though he had always whitened them, looked like they had had some work done. His front teeth were straight, and the gap on the bottom row seemed to be gone. It was only when he looked away in embarrassment did I notice his nose.

“Wait,” I said slowly, “Did you…?”

He absently scratched behind his nostril. 

“My nose? Yeah,” he said sheepishly.

I sighed and leaned against the counter, crossing my arms over my chest.

“Why? There was nothing wrong with your nose,” I said.

“Mikey, I couldn’t breathe!” he exclaimed, then shrugged, “But, since they were at it…”

I just smiled and shook my head. I remembered the constant bitching about congestion and not being able to smell. Forget the snoring that Aaron had made fun of. I was just glad he could finally breathe. 

“Well, either way, you look great. You look healthy,” I said. 

Zak smiled softly. 

“Yeah, you, too,” he said quietly, “You haven’t changed a bit. I like your hair this long.”

I froze as he reached up and ran a piece of black through his fingers. I swallowed thickly. There were still times where he made me nervous. Not because I was scared of his strength, but something else entirely.  
Zak let my hair drop and shuffled nervously. He cleared his throat and put his hands in the pockets of his camo cargo pants. 

“Don’t know if that’s good or bad,” I said, trying to break the tension.

Zak’s lips curved up and his eyes narrowed, his expression between a warm smile and a deadly glare. 

“Good, Mikey. You look amazing,” he said. 

I bit my tongue, knowing my face was burning red. Zak laughed and reached over to kiss the top of my head. I playfully wriggled away, making him laugh. 

“You need some help packing?” he asked. 

I shook my head. 

“No, I’m packed. My bags are on the bed if you want to take them out. I’ll finish getting ready and we can hit the road.”

I walked passed him and led the way to the bedroom.

“I’m in no rush, Mikes. Take your time,” he said. 

We walked down the hall and I reached in my bedroom to turn the light on for him. 

“I didn’t pack a whole lot. Figured it wouldn’t fit in the tiny backseat of whatever race car you’re driving nowadays,” I popped off. 

Zak smiled knowingly. 

“Not necessarily,” he replied. 

I turned and stared up at him. He gestured for me to follow with a tilt of his head. 

“Let me show ya,” he said. 

I raised an eyebrow at him and followed. He walked up to the door and opened it for me. I squinted in the sunlight and stepped out onto the concrete porch. There, sitting in the street behind a small compact car, was a matte black, lifted Ford Raptor. 

“Jesus Christ!” I blurted out. 

Zak howled with laughter. Excited, I spun around and shoved him back inside. 

“Grab my shit. I just gotta get dressed and we’ll hit the road.”

Zak laughed at me. 

“Can I drive?” I asked as I hurried back into the bathroom.

As soon as I shut the door and began to change, Zak stated his disapproval. 

“Hell no!”

***

 

That night, when we arrived at Zak’s place, I was slightly confused. I had been to Zak’s house plenty of times, and stayed the night multiple times. It had become a second home during filming. Zak had been so proud of the three-story mansion his show had bought him. The mixture of industrial and gothic styling, though very novelty Hard Rock Cafe-like, screamed him. When we pulled up to a mansion twice the size with a Mediterranean flair, I had no words. The home was gorgeous and beyond something anyone outside of the celebrity circle could dream about. 

“The old place was just too infested with dark energy. I couldn’t handle it anymore,” he explained as we pulled up the cobblestone driveway.

I was staring slack-jawed at the building in front of me. 

“I don’t blame you. Zak, this is gorgeous,” I gushed. 

Zak smiled and pressed a button on the map light cluster. The garage door opened, and he slowly pulled in, careful to keep the massive truck straight. What we pulled up next to should have surprised me. I wasn’t, though.  
When I met Zak, he had been driving a Bentley coupe. He went through expensive sports cars like water. A custom Dodge Challenger. Some bizarre Ferrari that was currently not here. Another Raptor. All of which seemed to have been either sold or traded in. I had known about the white Lamborghini. He had had that for a long time. Whether it was the same one I had known about or not, he usually had one. Of course, now there was a silver one next to it. On the other side of the truck was a two-toned Rolls Royce Wraith.  
I stared at Zak as he shut the engine off. 

“Why didn’t you bring the Rolls?” I asked.

Zak’s eyes widened.

“Not in that neighborhood!” he exclaimed. 

I laughed at that. I didn’t blame him. The neighborhood where my apartment building was located was not a bad neighborhood. Nevertheless, ten seconds left alone and that thing would be gone. 

“We’ll take it out tomorrow. We can go check out my museum. It’s gated,” he said. 

We were exiting the truck and grabbing my bags as he said this. I grabbed my duffel bag from the tall backseat and glared at him.

“What? When the hell did you get a museum?” I squeaked out. 

Zak laughed. 

“We have a lot of catching up to do!”

Inside the house, I was shocked. It was almost the polar opposite of the old place. Zak’s original home had had dark objects, gothic decor, and horror movie memorabilia everywhere. It had been Halloween there 24/7. This house was way more sophisticated, with ornate furniture, some of which looked Victorian, religious statues such as Buddhas and crosses, and earthy textures. It was incredibly peaceful. It seemed as if Zak’s taste in interior decorations had aged with him. 

“The house is spiritually cleansed on the regular,” Zak said as he gave me a tour, “Not too much of the gaudy Vegas vibe like the old house.”

I couldn’t speak. I was in awe of the architecture. Some areas oozed Zak’s darker tastes, or richer tastes. His walk-in closet was to die for, and it smelled thickly of his cologne and leather. The bedrooms were massive, his being the size of my apartment, if not bigger. I found it refreshing, however, that none of it said a flashy tool lived there. I think he had finally grown out of it. He had had a wonderful glow-up.

“What do you think?” he asked as we returned to the living room. 

His Border Collie, Gracie, followed closely behind with a squeaky toy in her mouth. I followed Zak to the back door, and we stepped out into the warm air. 

“I think it’s amazing, Zak. I’m really proud of you,” I replied. 

We walked over to some familiar black wicker patio furniture. He sat down on the sofa and patted the spot beside him. I sat down with him. 

“Thanks, Mikey,” he said. 

“So, what happened since I left?” I asked. 

Zak smiled. 

“This and that. I moved all of my collections of cursed objects into a museum. It’s become somewhat of an attraction,” he said proudly. 

“I bet,” I laughed.

He went on to explain how the opportunity to purchase the historic house his museum was in came to be. I watched as his eyes lit up when he explained it. He then gave me some more of the grittier details, including the Demon House and Nick’s departure. 

“I won’t bore you with the fighting,” he said, looking out over the pool at the sun, which was now turning bright red as it set over Las Vegas, “It was just a lot of bullshit.”

“Well, Zak, you have to agree with him when it came to his kids. He didn’t want to risk exposing them. I know Veronique hated it,” I replied. 

“I know, and I 100 percent understand that part. I don’t blame him at all,” he said.

He was quiet for a moment, deep in thought. 

“I guess I might have pushed him a little too hard,” he quietly admitted, “He was never too big on the demon stuff. When it came to buying that house, he was out.”

I nodded.

“I’m siding with Nick on that one,” I said. 

Zak’s eyes flashed up to me. I gave him a hard stare.

“You know I hated you guys dipping your fingers in that shit,” I snapped, “Aaron has a damn good grounding system. I never worried too much about him, but you?”

“I’ve always been careful,” he argued.

“Zak, you stay too open! Your thrill seeking sometimes goes too far!”

I half expected Zak to get mad at me, but I was pleasantly surprised when he started laughing. I stared at him wide-eyed. 

“What?” I exclaimed. 

He flashed me brilliant white teeth.

“You sound like Billy,” he said.

I had to bite the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing. Billy had only just started working with the crew in season three. He never said much to Zak during filming, but he would often take the parent role over Zak on the road. The kicker was, however, Zak would listen to him. 

“Someone has to,” I said jokingly. 

Zak leaned back into the cushions. 

“Make me out to be the damn problem child,” he grumbled, “I’ve gotten way better about how I go about investigations. It’s not like it used to be.”

“Oh, I know,” I said, watching Gracie as she stepped down into the pool to cool her belly.

Zak narrowed his eyes at me accusingly. I leaned closer to him.

“I never stopped watching the show,” I explained. 

His face softened at that. He studied me for a minute. 

“I wish you’d never left. Aaron isn’t the only one who had a great defense against dark energy. You could sense it coming before it happened,” he said. 

I felt my cheeks heat up at that. 

“I learned it from you,” I said.

He leaned closer to me, his eyes now dark and his jaw set. 

“You know you’re the only reason I’m still alive, right?” he asked, tone now serious. 

I rolled my eyes.

“Please, Zak—“

“If you had not sensed what you had sensed in that hotel, I would be dead. I had no idea my lungs were that bad!”

I felt my shoulders drop, sadness washing over me. I remembered that night.

The investigation started off like any other. I was put on infrared duty, helping Aaron take some shots in the halls when something I cannot explain came over me. Nick was in a room by himself, and Zak was alone in the basement. Aaron and I were not filming. It was close to 4:00 AM. The guys had had some bizarre activity happen, but I had not felt anything until the boys were deep into their investigation.  
I felt my chest tighten. Not in any sort of frightening way. What scared me initially was that it came on without a trigger. It was the sort of tightness that happens when you’re worried about something. I felt the need to pull away from Aaron. I needed to find the stairs. For some reason, at that moment, I needed to go to the basement. 

“Where’s Zak?” I asked randomly. 

The concerned tone of my voice forced Aaron to stare at me in surprise. 

“What do you mean ‘Where’s Zak?’” he asked, “He’s in the basement.”

At the moment, it was the first time I had had any kind of vision. My eyes went out of focus, and I could see a dark shadow float across stones. My heart beat started to pick up. 

“Something’s wrong,” I said distantly.

Aaron put his camera down and placed a hand on my shoulder. 

“What?” he asked, “Mikey, talk to me.”

My eyes finally met Aaron’s, and my mind was screaming to get to Zak.

“Zak’s in trouble,” I said. 

Aaron didn’t question how I knew Zak was in trouble. The crew had been building empathic abilities for some time. I didn’t understand it at the time. I didn’t even believe these borderline psychic abilities were real until what happened next. 

“Well, let’s go!” Aaron said.

Job forgotten, I grabbed his arm and we ran to the nearest elevator. The ride from the fourth floor to the basement was excruciatingly slow. I paced the car as we descended through the building. Aaron fidgeted at the door. 

“Come on. Come on. Come on!” he growled. 

When the light reached “B” and the door opened, we raced in, flashlights at the ready. 

“Zak!” I called. 

We moved through the darkness, and just as we found Zak, my skin prickled with goosebumps. He only looked at us briefly before he suddenly collapsed onto the concrete floor. Aaron and I screamed his name and ran up to him. I beat Aaron, falling over Zak’s body and reaching for his face.

“Zak! Zak!” I shouted. 

Aaron was in shock.

“Holy shit, dude! You were right. How did you know?” he asked. 

I shook my head and patted Zak’s cheek. I then held my head over his mouth to listen. My blood turned cold, when air didn’t come out. 

“Aaron, he’s not breathing!”

Aaron climbed to the other side of Zak’s body. He put a finger under Zak’s nose, then listened to his chest.

“Fuck! Zak! ZAK!” he panicked.

“Call 911, Aaron!”

Aaron nodded and grabbed his cell phone out of his pocket. I pushed Zak’s jacket away from his chest and began CPR. 

“Come on, asshole,” I growled, “You’re not dying on me tonight!”

I worked vigorously to bring air back into his lungs while Aaron spoke frantically to the operator. In that time, the crew had gathered around us, trying to revive Zak. 

“Try mouth-to-mouth, Mikey,” Nick said.

I didn’t think twice. I breathed air into his lungs, then Nick did chest compressions. Just when we thought we might lose him, he opened his eyes, coughing and struggling to catch his breath. 

“Nick! Nick, stop! He’s awake!” I shouted in a panic. 

We could hear the elevator activate, the paramedics coming down to the basement. Zak squirmed in a panic. 

“What the fuck?” he rasped.

His breathing was still heavy.

“Easy, bro,” Nick said. 

I wasn’t thinking about it when I took his hand in one of mine, then placed the other over his racing heart. 

“You better not be having a heart attack,” I said, “Zak, look at me. Can you hear me?”

Zak looked right at me. His breathing was getting worse. 

“Can’t breathe,” he choked out, “Mikey, I can’t breathe!”

The paramedics rushed in, one thankfully carrying an oxygen tank. 

“The paramedics are here. You’re going to be okay,” I said.

Nick was explaining to the paramedics what had happened. I let Zak go and watched as they loaded our lead investigator onto the gurney, an oxygen mask pressed to his face. Aaron stepped up to me and put an arm around my shoulders.

“God, I hope he’s okay,” he said. 

I nodded in agreement. 

“Yeah, me too,” I replied quietly. 

At the hospital, Nick and Aaron were back in the emergency ward with Zak. Billy and I couldn’t take it, and stood outside of the ER doors, sitting on a concrete ledge of a flower bed. 

“I hope that wasn’t a heart attack,” I said to Billy. 

Billy kept his head hung, shaking it. 

“That’s what it sounded like to me, Mikes,” he said. 

I closed my eyes, hoping and praying that Billy was wrong. 

“If he ends up being a heart patient, he won’t be able to continue to investigate. Not like this, anyway,” I said. 

“If he makes it,” Billy said solemnly.

I gritted my teeth. 

“Billy, he’s strong.”

“He’s always had a fragile respiratory system. Anything could be going on with his heart,” he said. 

I felt tears of panic rush to my eyes. Billy put a hand on my shoulder and squeezed. 

Another half hour passed before Nick emerged with Aaron. Billy and I jumped to attention.

“What happened?” I asked.

“Is he okay?” Billy asked frantically. 

Nick gave us a tired smile. 

“He’s fine. He’s awake and stable. Just tired,” he explained. 

“Yeah,” Aaron agreed, “Mikey, he wants to talk to you. You wanna go in?”

I nodded and eagerly followed. 

“It wasn’t a heart attack?” I asked. 

Aaron shook his head and opened the double doors for me. 

“No, just a severe asthma attack. There’s no telling what kind of shit he was breathing in,” he replied. 

I let out a breath of relief. 

“Thank God,” I said. 

We walked around the ward to Zak’s room. A nurse was in typing on the bedside computer. Zak was sitting up, a breathing tube in his nose and a cup of water in his hand. 

“Hey, G,” Aaron announced, “I found Michael.”

Zak perked up. 

“Hey! Come in,” he said, his voice hoarse, but strong. 

The nurse finished typing notes on the computer. 

“Okay, Mr. Bagans. Do you need anything else?” she asked. 

Zak looked up at her and shook his head. 

“No, ma’am. Thank you,” he replied. 

“Okay. I’ll be making rounds, so if you need me, press the call button. I’ll be in in a flash,” she said. 

We thanked her, and with that, she disappeared behind the curtain. Aaron tapped my arm.

“I’m going to step out for a minute,” he said. 

I nodded and watched him slip back through the curtain. I turned to Zak. He smiled tiredly. 

“Hey, Mikey,” he said softly. 

I smiled back and walked up beside him.

“Hey,” I said. 

He reached up, and I leaned down to hug him. 

“You scared the shit out of us!”

Zak laughed. 

“I’m sorry,” he apologized. 

I grabbed a nearby chair and sat down. 

“It’s okay. I’m just glad you’re okay. What’d the doctor say?” I asked. 

Zak looked down at his cup. 

“Said I had a severe asthma attack. Probably a lot of contaminants in that damn basement,” he replied. 

I sighed. 

“I have to wear a respirator mask and keep an inhaler handy from now on. Guess my lungs have gotten worse,” he explained. 

I sighed. I hated to hear that. 

“Mikey?”

I met his eyes.

“You know what else that doctor said?” he asked. 

I narrowed my eyes. 

“What?”

A smile tugged at the corner of his lips. 

“If you hadn’t found me when you did, I’d be dead,” he said darkly. 

I felt my jaw drop. 

“What?” I whispered. 

“Aaron told me what happened. You sensed something was wrong and came to my rescue,” he replied. 

I was at a loss for words. 

“Right?” he asked. 

“Well, y-yeah,” I stammered, “Zak, I don’t know how to explain it. It was like I had this flash image of you and this bad feeling.”

He just nodded. 

“I thought you were developing empathic abilities,” he said knowingly. 

I rolled my eyes. 

“I guess,” I said. 

“You are!” he raised his voice. 

He reached over and took my hand. I wrapped my fingers around his larger palm. 

“You saved my life tonight,” he said softly. 

Whether it was the relief of knowing my best friend was okay, my exhaustion, or both, I felt tears prick my eyes again. 

“Don’t cry, Michael,” he said, “Come here.”

He reached an arm out. I leaned forward and hugged him again. He held me tightly, and for the first time, kissed my temple. At that, I lost it. 

“I owe you, Mikey,” he said quietly. 

I just shook my head. 

“No, you don’t. Just don’t ever try to die on me again and we’re even,” I said. 

Zak laughed at that. 

“I’ll try,” he said, “I’ll try.”

 

Zak picked at his nails.

“We still need you, Mikes,” he said. 

I turned my head, tearing my absent gaze away from the trees on the edge of the yard. I swallowed thickly. 

“It’s a big decision, Zak!”

“Hey, I’m not pushing you, sweetie,” he said, “I’m just stating the obvious.”

I couldn’t help but smile. 

“I knew there was another reason you dragged me out here,” I teased. 

Zak burst out laughing. 

“No! No! We just missed you,” he said. 

I was sure my cheeks were pink. 

“I missed you guys, too,” I quietly admitted. 

Zak scooted over and hugged me. I reached around his massive shoulders, now able to get my chin over them. He patted my back and let go.  
Within the house, the door opened and Gracie shot across the yard. 

“Zak?” called a familiar voice. 

I jumped in surprise. 

“Out here!” Zak called. 

I turned around to see a tall, slender bald man, sporting a beard, walk through the back door. 

“What are you—MIKEY!”

“Aaron!” I exclaimed. 

I jumped up from the chair and ran up to him.

“Holy shit!” he shouted as he hugged me, “Why didn’t you tell me she was here, bro?”

Zak laughed. 

“It was a surprise,” he replied. 

Aaron let go of me. 

“God, I missed you!”

“I missed you, too, Aaron. Look at you!” I said, “Zak, are you starving him?”

Zak scoffed. 

“He doesn’t eat anything but nuts and berries!” he retorted. 

Aaron grinned. 

“I just don’t eat garbage anymore,” he said, “Speaking of eating, you guys want to grab a bite? I’m starving!”

Zak and I eagerly agreed, and followed Aaron back through the house.

It felt like I was walking in a dream, being back with these guys, and it made me seriously debate returning to Ghost Adventures.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to leave a comment and tell me what you guys thought!


	4. Home

Aaron and Zak stood in front of Zak’s stove, Aaron with his cell phone in his hand and an empty paper plate on the island, and Zak still working on his slice of cake that we had brought home from the restaurant. I was sitting on the other side of the island, still working on my slice. I watched the boys as they reminisced on all the fun times I had missed. I couldn’t help but smile at them. Aaron had his hands in the air, making faces to emphasize the story he was telling. Zak’s eyes were glued to his friend, the smile never leaving his face. I had never heard so much laughter out of the two in the time I had known them. In fact, I felt like I hadn’t laughed so much in years.  
There was a peace between the two. No tension, no fighting, no jealousy. Zak was a lot less uptight. He let himself have fun. What surprised me the most was that he was not jumping away when Aaron touched him. Back in the day, Zak had tended to jump or pull away when touched. He seldom put a friendly hand on a shoulder. The amount of affection the two showed each other and others had changed dramatically. I had even noticed that when watching the show. Zak would hold Aaron by the shoulders, or Aaron would take Zak’s arm or protectively put a hand on his back. Their brotherhood had grown immensely, and it made me so happy to see.  
Still, there was an emptiness there. You could feel it when the laughter died and one of us would sniff or cough. There was a missing voice. Zak and Aaron didn’t seem to react to it, but I felt it. It was just different not having Nick here, and knowing I would probably never see him again. I sighed heavily. It had been for the best, of course, but it was still strange. 

“So,” Aaron said loudly.

Zak and I looked up from our plates. Aaron had his arms crossed over his chest and was glaring at me, a smirk on his lips. 

“Did you perhaps, maybe, kinda wanna…come back to the show?” he asked.

I tried not to laugh as his eyes widened and he put his hands in the air, shrugging.

“Aaron, don’t push it,” Zak scolded.

“What?” Aaron exclaimed, “I was just asking!”

“I know, but I’ve already discussed it with her,” he said. 

Aaron glared at him, his mood suddenly turning serious.

“Did you tell her about how crew members keep quitting?” he asked accusingly, “What about building a stronger foundation like you said?”

Zak’s nostrils flared in aggravation. I looked from Aaron to Zak and set my fork down. Zak’s eyes flashed to me before darting to his shoes.

“Aaron,” he growled.

I felt my heart skip. What did he mean?

“Crew members keep quitting?” I asked. 

Zak just rubbed the side of his face and turned to set his plate down. 

“It’s just some bullshit, Mikey. Not a big deal,” he grumbled out. 

“G!” Aaron snapped, then turned to me, “Things are kind of…I don’t know how to put it.”

“Falling apart?” Zak asked.

Aaron closed his mouth and looked at him with sad eyes.

“I didn’t want to put that phrase in the universe,” Aaron said softly, “But, that seems to be what’s happening.”

My shoulders dropped and I stared at the guys in horror.

“What do you mean ‘falling apart?’” I asked, “Is the show in trouble?”

Zak turned back to us and bit his bottom lip. 

“Ever since I bought that damn house, we have had crew members continually quit on us. Mostly with our production crew at the network,” he explained, “It’s starting to get bad.”

I took a deep breath and propped my elbows on the edge of the granite island. 

“Well, maybe it’s just a slump?” I asked hopefully.

“Maybe,” Aaron said.

“It’s just that every decision I make—that we make,” Zak said, gesturing to himself and Aaron, “It’s like walking on thin ice. Who’s going to pack it up and leave? Who is going to not agree? Who’s next?”

I nodded understandingly. 

“So far, our bunch hasn’t quit, with the exceptions of Ashley and Nick,” Aaron said. 

“No!” Zak agreed, “In fact, we have new people in our circle, but we don’t know how long that will last. Mike, our new sound guy, he hasn’t really had that much exposure to the paranormal. He’s not that receptive to the energy. And Dakota. I don’t know if you remember, Mikey. He was the kid that was making those spoofs on us.”

I smiled and nodded.

“He won the contest? Yeah, I remember him!” I replied. 

“He’s our backup camera guy now,” Aaron said. 

I stared at them in surprise.

“That’s awesome!”

Zak’s smile faded as soon as it formed.

“But he’s extremely vulnerable to dark energy. No way in hell I’m putting him through that,” he said.

“Well, he’s just a kid,” I agreed.

Zak nodded. 

“Exactly.”

“Which is why we need you,” Aaron said playfully, then turned somber, “We were all kinds of lost when you left.”

I sighed heavily.

“Aaron, don’t start. You know how hard it was for me to go. I—“

“Why did you leave?” Zak interrupted.

I looked up at Zak. He had a very stern look on his face. Aaron’s eyes widened, jaw slack.

“Yeah! You never told us why you left!”

“I know you said family shit,” Zak continued. 

I let my posture fail and slumped.

“It’s hard to talk about, Zak. Even now,” I replied, “Hell, I don’t think I’ve really told anyone.”

Aaron gave me a sympathetic look.

“You can’t keep it bottled up, Mikey,” he said softly. 

Zak walked around the island towards me.

“Come,” he said, touching a hand to my shoulder as he approached, “Let’s talk about it.”

“Zak, it may not be something we need to know,” Aaron warned. 

Zak jumped, not realizing that he may be pressing too hard. 

“Shit,” he whispered, then looked down at me, “Mikey, I’m sorry. If it’s too much—“

“No, no!” I waved them off, then hopped down from the barstool, “Aaron, come on. I’ll tell you guys. It’s been way overdue, anyway.”

Zak smiled warmly and put an arm around my shoulders.

“It’ll make you feel better,” he reassured.

Zak led the way to the couch in the living room. Aaron decided on a leather armchair. Gracie hopped right into his lap. I sat in the corner of the couch, Zak to my right. Aaron reached a long arm over and took my wrist. I glanced up to be met by a soft smile.

“Tell us what happened, Mikes,” he encouraged. 

I took a deep breath and began.

“Okay, well,” I started, “My mom’s parents—Zak, you met my grandmother. Remember?”

Zak chewed his lip in thought, looking lost for a moment. When the lightbulb went off in his head, he perked up. 

“Oh yeah! Yeah, I really liked her,” he said, then his face fell, “Wait! What happened?”

I wrung my hands and looked down at the concrete floor. 

“A couple of guys broke in to their house,” I began.

Zak watched me with wide, worried eyes. Aaron’s jaw dropped. I swallowed thickly. 

“They were looking for drugs and money. Of course, my grandparents were in their late 70’s. They had medical issues, so there were prescriptions in the house.”

Zak slowly nodded. 

“Were?” he asked. 

I bit my bottom lip. He caught that too easily. 

“Yeah,” I breathed out. 

Aaron’s eyes widened. 

“Wait? What?” he asked, confused. 

I reached up and nervously picked at my lip. 

“They took all of the pills in the house, whatever money was in my grandmother’s purse,” I paused, feeling myself choking up, “They made off with one of the TVs and all of the jewelry. I don’t know that any of it was worth much, but…doesn’t matter.”

I stopped and stared at the dark fireplace under the flatscreen, trying to figure out how to word what I wanted to say without triggering myself. I could see images in my head, and that didn’t help. 

“Then, the assholes who broke in…” I swallowed the lump in my throat and closed my eyes. 

There was a reason I had never told this story to anyone, and after all these years, the emotions were still very raw.  
I felt Zak shift beside me. I opened my eyes to see his ringed, tattooed fingers gently wrap around my forearm. His palm was warm and comforting. I sighed and swallowed my emotions. I didn’t want to cry tonight. Not in front of the guys. 

“They beat the shit out of both them,” I snarled, anger rising in place of sadness.

Aaron looked away from me, taking in a deep breath. 

 

“Are you kidding me?” Zak asked in shock.

I shook my head.

“My grandfather is laying in a nursing home, rotting away. Has no idea who he is. He can’t eat, or shower, or shit without a team of nurses helping him,” I said.

“Jesus Christ,” Zak whispered.

Aaron had his elbow now propped on the arm of the chair, his mouth hidden behind his hand. 

“And your grandmother?” he asked, voice muffled by his hand.

I shook my head.

“They killed her,” I whispered. 

It was then burning tears rushed to my eyes. Aaron dropped his arm and slid off to the chair. He crouched in front of me and enveloped me in his long, slender arms. I felt one of Zak’s large arms wrap around my waist, his cheek on top of my head. I put an arm each around the guys, pressing my nose and mouth into Aaron’s shoulder and willing myself desperately not to cry. 

“I’m so sorry, Mikey,” Aaron said. 

I felt Zak nod in agreement and rub my back.

“Why didn’t you tell us?” he asked softly.

“Yeah,” Aaron agreed, “Going through all of that alone?”

All I could do was shrug. I pulled away from Aaron and wiped some moisture from my eye. Zak placed a comforting hand on my upper back. He leaned his head down, trying to obtain eye contact and search my eyes. I looked up at him through a film of tears. 

“You know we would have been down there in a heartbeat,” he said. 

I just nodded. Aaron swiped a few tissues from the tissue box on the coffee table and handed them to me. I thanked him and wiped my nose with one. 

“I know. I just didn’t want…I don’t know,” I shrugged, “I was in so much pain. I didn’t want to share that.”

“But see? That’s what we’re saying,” Aaron said. 

I forced myself to meet his eyes. 

“You wouldn’t have had to take it all alone,” he finished.

I had no idea how to respond. I fidgeted a little and kept my eyes cast down. Zak gently butted his head against the side of my mine, and that did it for me. The tears seeped between my eyelids, and the emotions came pouring out like water from a faucet. I curled in on myself, remembering every little detail. The phone call while on lockdown, Zak begging me to wait on him so he could at least drive me to the airport, the state of shock I was in from the time I got home to the time my grandmother was wheeled through the emergency room. She was declared DOA. The funeral. Seeing her in a casket when she was supposed to be in her chair with her little candy dish and blanket, watching whatever god-awful game show or reality show was on TV. I cried more on that day than I had ever before. I had picked up my phone and clicked on the guys’ names dozens of times. I gave up every time.  
Zak brought my head against his chest, tucking my head under his chin. Aaron gripped my hands, rubbing the backs with his thumbs. 

“You guys have no idea how many times I tried to call. As time went on, I just thought you guys would forget about me and not care.”

“Now, you know that’s not true,” Zak said, almost scoldingly. 

“Yeah, Mikes,” Aaron agreed, “You’re family.”

I swallowed and nodded. 

We stayed in that position for a long time. Zak said nothing as he kept me locked against him, and Aaron effortlessly brought a smile through my crying. There had definitely been a hole ever since I left the show. Now, I wished I hadn’t waited so long.  
A few hours later, Aaron went ahead and went home for the night. He had some work to do, leaving Zak and I alone in the house. We didn’t say too much for a while, nor did we need to. He made tea while I cuddled with Gracie on the couch, watching TV. Zak sat next to Gracie, an arm gently resting on her hip. 

“Zak?” I asked quietly, hating the silence and feeling the need to break it.

Zak looked up from his mug. 

“Yeah?” he asked. 

I reached over the dog and gripped his arm. 

“You were right. Thank you,” I said, referring to needing to vent. 

He gave me a soft smile. 

“You’re welcome,” he replied, “Can I ask you something?”

I nodded.

“Why didn’t you come back? Did you really think we forgot and just dismissed you?” he asked, sounding hurt. 

I laughed. 

“No, Zak! No, after the funeral, shit snowballed. My parents were depressed. They were fighting. Then my aunt died. She had an aneurysm.”

“Holy shit,” Zak said quietly. 

I just nodded. 

“I guess I was kind of scared to come back because I thought, after she died, that maybe something came home with me,” I explained.

Zak’s eyebrows furrowed, concern shaping his features. He didn’t like the sound of that. 

“So, I sought out a cleanser. A spiritual cleanser. She performed a cleanse like we’ve had to do on investigations.”

Zak just nodded.

“Right,” he said. 

“She said I had some residue from working on lockdowns, but I didn’t have any attachments. No state of oppression. Nothing. The series of events that happened were just…coincidences.”

Zak nodded again, taking my words in. 

“But, she was able to effectively erase all the dark residue I didn’t know I’d been carrying,” I spoke up. 

His eyes connected with mine. 

“I thought about coming back after that,” I said, “I really did. I even asked that cleanser if she would teach me how to do it.”

Zak’s eyebrows shot up his forehead in surprise. 

“You became a spiritual cleanser?” he asked excitedly.

I laughed. 

“Yeah. Professionally trained,” I replied. 

Zak’s jaw fell and a smile slowly began to appear. 

“Do you know, Michael—do you understand how much we need a spiritual cleanser on the team?” 

His eyes were as wide as saucers. 

“You can’t go back to Flagstaff after telling me that!” he stated. 

I burst out laughing. 

“Zak-“

That man actually crawled up onto his knees and clasped his hands together, pleading.

“Mikey, please!” he begged. 

I laughed and playfully shoved him.

“Stop!” I laughed. 

He gave me a boyish grin and readjusted himself. 

We settled into silence once more. Zak became absorbed in the show we were watching, but I quickly forgot about it. I glanced over at Zak. He didn’t notice.  
I hadn’t realized how much I missed this. On any normal night, I would be spending countless hours with my head in my phone or computer, ignoring the world around me as I tried to forget my day at my shitty job and the fact that I would have to do it all over again the next day. There would be no phone calls. No outings with friends. As I sat with Zak, satisfyingly tired from laughing and face hurting from smiling, I realized that I might have hit a low. It was going to be difficult saying goodbye. Did I want to return to Ghost Adventures? Absolutely. Was I prepared to say yes? That was the nerve-racking part. Would I be good enough to do it again? Would I be able to satisfy the network? However, there was no doubt in my mind that things between Aaron, Zak and I would be the same. Sitting with him and Gracie felt like old times. It was as if the years spent away never happened.  
Zak groaned and removed his glasses. He reached a long finger up and rubbed his eyes. 

“Eyes are killing me,” he grumbled. 

I smiled sympathetically. 

“Staring at the TV after eight hours on the road probably doesn’t help,” I said. 

Zak sniffed, a small smile pulling at his lips. 

“Ever since what happened at the Demon House, they’ve never been the same. I probably need to find some eye drops,” he said. 

I cut my eyes at him. Something happened to his eyes? 

“What happened at the Demon House?” I asked. 

He put his glasses back on and looked at me, surprise written on his face. 

“You didn’t watch it?” he asked. 

“Zak, I’m not touching that one. You know how I feel about you messing with demonic shit!”

Gracie, sensing tension, hopped down from my lap and trotted to the kitchen to get a drink and avoid drama. 

“What happened to your eyes?” I asked, toning my attitude down.

Zak sighed and pointed to the end table behind me. 

“Turn that lamp on,” he said. 

I turned around and reached up to turn the lamp on as requested. When I turned back around, he removed his glasses again. One dark blue orb remained staring at me dead on, the other turned inward. I stared at him in shock, not understanding what I was looking at. 

“What the hell?” I asked.

Zak let me lean forward and touch his shoulder, getting a closer look at his eyes. 

“Doctors couldn’t figure it out. I had the excruciating pain behind my eyes when I was in that house. I woke up with diplopia—permanent double vision. I believe it was caused by whatever evil entity was in that house. Surgery is too risky. I’ve been dealing with it since.”

I just shook my head. Getting scratched was one thing. This?

“Jesus Christ, Zak! I knew if you kept on something bad would happen,” I ranted. 

He hung his head and put his glasses back on. 

“Why didn’t you tell me?” I asked. 

“Because I know how you react,” he said, then smiled, “Same as how I reacted to you not telling me what happened.”

He shrugged.

“Guess we’re two of a kind,” he finished. 

I laughed at that. 

“Maybe I do need to come back,” I teased, “Just to keep your ass in line.”

Zak laughed. He let his head fall back against the couch cushion. 

“Maybe so,” he agreed.

“Even though you never listened,” I playfully griped and glanced up at the TV. 

Zak let out a deep breath. 

“I don’t know, Mikey. After all that’s happened,” he paused for a moment.

I looked back over him.

“I think I’ll listen to you this time,” he finished. 

I smiled at him and patted his knee. 

“Holding you to that,” I said.

Zak chuckled. 

A few minutes later, the two of us decided we needed sleep. Zak was exhausted, and we needed to get up early if we wanted to get any hanging out done before it was time to head back to Arizona. Zak gave me a quick tour of one of the guest bathrooms, showing me how to use the overly complicated and extra fancy shower head. Afterward, we said goodnight, and my head hit the pillows around 1:30 in the morning. Between the time I closed my eyes and the time the smell of food waking me up, I slept better than I had in a long time.

***

“If you feel anything weird, or if you feel like you can’t breathe, gonna pass out, whatever, tell me the second it happens. Some of this shit is dangerous and I don’t want you getting hurt,” Zak said as we exited the Rolls and stepped out onto the pavement of the Haunted Museum’s parking lot.

I shot him a glare over the roof of the car.

“It’s not like I’ve never been in a haunted location before,” I retorted.

Zak gave me this stone cold stare he normally reserved for scolding Aaron. 

“Michael, there are some things in here that are seriously fucked up,” he said darkly.

I followed him as he walked around the nose of the car and up to the back door employee entrance. 

“I just don’t want you getting hurt,” he continued, tone softening. 

“The moment I get spooked, I’m hiding behind your ass,” I popped off. 

Zak smiled, trying not to laugh. 

“I mean it!” I went on as he typed in the key-code to unlock the door. 

Inside was dark, though I was not surprised. There were a few offices, including his and a few of his staff. The walls were adorned with fan photos and Las Vegas tourism awards. I looked over them as he led me through the historic home turned haunted museum.  
Zak showed me the lighter of the collection, not even letting me go near rooms with health-threatening objects. I was in absolute awe of the place. There were a few items I recognized, as he had kept these in his dungeon he had had at the old house. The rest were items I had never seen before. Antique puppets and clown dolls, serial killer possessions, and the haunted and creepy cars. He spoke so animatedly the entire walkthrough. He was so proud of this accomplishment. He had always said he would own a historic home. I had always thought he meant he would purchase and live in a creepy mansion, castle, or a church. He seemed just as pleased, if not more, with this outcome. I was extremely proud of him.  
Aaron showed up during the middle of our walkthrough. He was so excited to tell me about his own experiences. I listened and laughed at the two trying to one-up the other. Aaron seemed just as proud of it, though. 

“Creeped out yet?” Zak asked as we walked back to the offices.

I shrugged. I could feel the spirits here. Who couldn’t? I felt the off-putting sensation of something, or someone, watching me. It wasn’t new to me. The spirits were here, but they didn’t bother me.

“Not really,” I replied.

Zak raised an eyebrow at me. 

“You can’t tell me these little clown things don’t creep you out!” Aaron said. 

I laughed. 

“Well, yeah, they do, but I’m not scared,” I replied. 

Aaron huffed.

“Nothing scares you,” he grumbled.

Zak led us to his office and reached for his keys to unlock the door. 

“Yeah, but I also didn’t take her to the scary rooms. I’m trying to protect her a little from taking something home,” he said.

Aaron snorted. 

“How come you don’t do that for me?” he asked.

Zak opened the door. 

“Aaron!” he scolded.

“Take a bullet for Mikey but not for me?” Aaron went on. 

Zak wasn’t in the mood to argue.

“Shut the door, Aaron. Yes, I do,” Zak replied, “I protect you guys as much as possible. Why do you think I get the most bullshit?”

I looked around the office while Zak reached for a stack of paper on his desk. The room was a stark contrast from the rest of the museum. It was light and airy, with various protective amulets hanging on the walls and sitting on tabletops. An incense burner sat on a window sill, ash from the last burn still sitting in the bottom. A bookcase lined the back wall, books, including the two he wrote, binders, and random macabre knickknacks filled the shelves. Aaron sat down in one of the chairs while I explored.

“I know you do, G,” Aaron said. 

Zak viciously sifted through his paperwork, getting irritated and slamming things down. 

“What’s wrong, bro?” Aaron asked. 

Zak growled and shook his head. 

“I can’t find that fucking pink sheet! I need that mailed out today,” he replied, “Did you see it when you were up here the other day?”

“Zak, I don’t mess with your stuff,” he replied, “I don’t remember.”

A folder fell to the floor, causing its contents to slip out. 

“DAMMIT!” Zak barked. 

I reached down and helped him stack his papers. 

“Thanks, Mikey,” he said, trying to cool his temper.

“Welcome,” I said quietly. 

Zak huffed and set the folder aside. 

“Okay. I’ll be back,” he said as we walked around me, “You two stay. Mikey, don’t let Aaron touch anything.”

Aaron’s jaw dropped. 

“Whatever!” he argued.

But Zak was already out the door. I walked behind the desk and sat down in Zak’s chair. As soon as I did, I spotted a pink piece of paper under a leather planner. I pulled it out and held it up to Aaron.

“Is this it?” I asked. 

Aaron leaned forward and squinted.

“Oh my God! Yeah, that’s it. Here,” he said, holding out his hand. 

I handed the sheet over and Aaron stood to open the door. I looked over the mess on the desk in shock. Zak was a neat-freak. No clutter was allowed. It stressed him out—threw off his mojo. To see his workspace in such a state was a little alarming.  
Zak swung back by and thanked Aaron, then disappeared again. Aaron shook his head and shut the door. 

“What the hell has been going on?” I asked.

Aaron was confused.

“What do you mean?” he asked.

I stared at him with wide eyes and gestured to the towers of papers.

“This is a shit-show, Aaron!” 

He sighed and nodded.

“I know.”

“Doesn’t he have assistants that take care of all this?” I asked.

Aaron slowly shook his head.

“She quit too,” he said. 

I let my head fall back. 

“He’s been doing all of this on his own?” I asked.

“It’s like I told you, Mikey,” Aaron said.

He walked around the desk and leaned against the corner. 

“Shit has not been good lately—especially with Zak. Ever since his dad passed away, it’s been one thing after another. That’s why I’ve been coming by and helping,” he explained.

I stared up at Aaron in shock.

“He didn’t tell me his dad was gone!”

Aaron nodded. 

“When did this happen?” I asked.

“Right before Christmas. He’s been having dreams about him. He’s had a really rough time these past two months.”

I sighed and picked at my fingers. 

“He’s lost, Michael,” he said sadly.

I nodded. I hated this for him. As capable as Zak was of taking care of business, the empire he had built was too much for one person. Doing it on top of mourning over the loss of a parent? Impossible.  
Zak walked back into the office. He looked relieved now that he had found his paper.

“Okay,” he said breathlessly, “I’m done. Mikey, do you want to grab a bite to eat before we hit the road?”

I nodded and stood up from his chair. 

“Yeah. That sounds like a plan,” I replied.

Aaron turned away from me. 

“You wanna join us, Aaron?” Zak asked.

He shook his head. 

“Nah, bro. I’m good. I need to head out, anyway.”

I watched Aaron sadly. 

“Are you sure?” I asked, hoping to get at least one more hour of some time with my brother before I headed home.

Aaron smiled and held his arms out. I reached up to hug him.

“I gotta get some errands done and head to Bacon’s house,” he said, “So, this is goodbye for now.”

I squeezed his slender frame just a little tighter. 

“You come back and visit us again soon. Okay?” 

I nodded into his shoulder.

“I won’t wait so long next time,” I promised.

Aaron let me go and smiled down at me. 

“Love ya, kiddo,” he said.

I smiled sadly. 

“Love you, too, bro,” I quietly replied. 

Aaron put an arm around my shoulders and turned to Zak.

“What’s the plan, G? Are you spending the night?” he asked.

Zak nodded.

“Crash at Mikey’s tonight,” he replied.

By the time we reached Flagstaff, it would be close to dinner time. I had offered to let Zak spend the night so he wouldn’t have to drive the four hours back home with tired eyes. It gave me peace of mind and a little more time with him.  
Aaron raised an eyebrow at him.

“You better behave,” he said. 

Zak just rolled his eyes. 

“Aaron,” he groaned. 

Aaron just laughed, removing his arm from my shoulders. 

“I’m messing with you!”

Zak just shook his head. 

“Make sure you swing by and check on Gracie tonight,” he said. 

Aaron was still laughing.

“I will. I will,” he said. 

He reached up and brought Zak into a bro-hug. I smiled at the two as I watched them. 

“See ya later, man,” Zak said. 

“Drive safe. No shenanigans or hanky-panky,” Aaron said playfully. 

Zak smiled at that. 

“Stop it,” he said. 

Aaron grinned and shrugged. Zak shook his head and opened the door, gesturing for me to go through first, Aaron following.  
Zak locked up and we met with Aaron in the parking lot, talking a little and saying one last goodbye before Zak and I hit the road. When Aaron left, Zak twirled his key ring around his index finger. 

“Alright, Mikey,” he spoke up, “What are ya hungry for? There’s a pretty good little barbecue joint up the road from here.”

He started to pass me when I grabbed his arm. 

“That sounds good to me. Hey, what a sec.”

Zak stopped in his tracks and looked down at me, concerned.

“What’s up?”

I took a step back and crossed my arms over my chest. I was a little nervous about bringing up his father, so I chose my words wisely and kept my tone light. 

“Why didn’t you tell me about your dad?” I asked.

His face fell and he groaned. 

“Michael—“

“You let me sit there last night and boo-hoo about my bullshit when your own father just passed away!”

“Mikey, your grandfather has irreversible brain damage and your grandmother was murdered!” he argued, “I was worried about you! You kept me in the dark for years!”

I clenched my jaw, trying to control my temper.

“I know. I’m sorry,” I said in defeat, “I’m okay, though. It’s you I’m worried about. Aaron told me about the shit you’ve been going through. Juggling all of this by yourself while mourning over the loss of your dad?”

Zak stared at his feet. I watched as he ground his teeth, the muscles in his jaw twitching. I stepped up closer to him, tearing his focus away from his shoes. 

“Are you okay?” I asked.

It was like a switch had been flipped. I watched as his resolve shattered with his ego like glass on the concrete. He transferred his weight from one foot to the other. He then looked up at me with the most heartbroken expression. His eyes watered and he shook his head, as if trying to keep himself together. 

“Things are going to shit, Mikey. I can’t—“ he made a fist and slammed it against his leg in frustration, “I don’t know how much longer I can keep this together. I—“

Words failed him. He backed himself into the grill of his car and leaned on the edge of the hood. His eyes then watered as he looked up to the sky. 

“I miss him,” he whispered. 

I sighed and stepped up to him. He let his head drop and shook it. I walked into his chest and embraced him. Heavy arms locked around me as he buried his face in my neck. My heart broke into a million pieces when I felt his torso shudder and a muffled cry rip from his throat. I closed my eyes and held the back of his head with one hand and rubbed his back with the other. 

“I’m so sorry, Zak,” I whispered.

Zak’s pain poured out of him and flowed through me like a flood. I had never lost a parent, but I could only imagine that pain—not to mention fear. It doesn’t matter how old you are. Death of a parent or grandparent brings you that much closer to the head of the line. The overwhelming feeling of terror that any child has felt when getting separated from a parent repeats itself. I couldn’t imagine losing my own parents, and though it was inevitable, I never wanted the day to come. To see my best friend this way—to feel his tears on my skin and his body shake, I felt it all. 

“Tell me what I can do,” I said.

Zak shrugged his shoulders and lifted his head. His cheeks were soaked. He struggled to hold in a sob, trembling as fresh tears spilled over. I didn’t hesitate to reach up and wipe his face. It was in that moment that he went from the big, bad ghost hunter to a son who needed help—needed security. Aaron had been right. Zak was lost. He was a pinball on the loose, hoping to hit the right thing and receive some kind of positive outcome.  
Zak’s eyes finally flashed up to me. He had never shown sadness to me before. Not this way. He had a hard time expressing his feelings. Even on the show, he kept his eyes off of the camera when something particularly devastating happened. He looked terrified, hopeless, and exhausted from all of it. 

“I’m sorry,” he apologized, “It’s still raw, you know?”

I nodded understandingly. I didn’t dare tell him it would stay raw for a long time. 

“I know. It’s okay. You don’t have to apologize,” I reassured him. 

Zak nodded. I reached for his wrists, letting my hands drop to his and gave them a gentle squeeze. A small smile appeared through his sadness.

“If you need me, I can call in sick and stay another night,” I offered. 

His smile widened at that. 

“No, don’t do that. I got it,” he replied. 

He wouldn’t meet my eyes. I leaned down and searched his face. When his eyes connected with mine, I raised an accusing eyebrow. He cracked a grin. 

“Really, Mikey! It’s alright. I don’t want you calling in and getting in trouble because of me.”

I finally smiled at that, satisfied with his response. 

“I guess we’re both guilty of shutting each other out. I promise I won’t do that anymore,” he said. 

I smiled and squeezed his hands before letting go. 

“Me, too,” I agreed, then decided to change the subject, “Come on. Tell me about this barbecue place.”

At that, his eyes lit up and he spun around to go to the door. 

“Dude! It’s so good!”

***

It took us longer than expected to reach Flagstaff. We honestly did not have the urge to rush back. Zak took his time driving. We talked the majority of the way nonstop, and by we, I mean him. When we stopped at our halfway point for gas, he handed me the keys. I stared at him in shock. He just smiled. 

“I trust ya,” was all he said. 

I had a blast driving the Wraith. It was big, powerful, and a dream to drive. It was like driving a cloud down the highway. I played my music and got a kick out of the stares I received from others. Zak snoozed, not feeling any road bumps and fully trusting me with his precious car.  
We arrived in Flagstaff long after dark. Starved, we decided to grab a quick bite before heading home. 

“Any requests?” I asked, flicking on the turn signal as we entered town. 

Zak, who had just awoken from his nap, stretched and raised the seat back up. He reached for his glasses, which were resting in the cupholder. He placed them over his eyes and straightened himself in the seat. 

“Nah,” he said. 

I shot him a look. This was a man who was very particular about his food. The healthier, the better. 

“Any place we can’t go?” I asked. 

Zak smiled.

“If you take me to a McDonald’s, you’ll never hear the end of it,” he teased. 

I laughed at that. That would be a sight—a Rolls in a McDonald’s parking lot. 

We settled on a sub shop where we could get whatever we wanted. They piled the meat high, and it would satisfy Zak’s protein addiction. Besides, they had a variety of veggies and healthy bread options. I knew I made the right choice when he wolfed his sandwich down before I did.  
When we were finished, we slowly made our way to the car with a refilled drinks. I was looking over his arm as we watched an Instagram video Aaron had posted. We giggled as he made a funny face, then almost tripped on something. As he scrolled to the next post, my phone rang in my pocket. I fished it out to read the screen. 

“Did I show you what Gracie did to my Christmas tree?” Zak asked. 

On the screen was the name and number of my landlord. Dread filled my chest.

“No,” I replied distantly, “Hang on.”

Zak looked up from his phone to see mine ringing. 

“Oh!” he said quietly. 

I pressed the answer button and put the phone to my ear.

“Hello?” I asked. 

My landlord’s voice came out frantically over an overwhelmingly loud background commotion. 

“Michael?” she asked, “Michael, where are you?”

I looked up at Zak. I’m sure the confusion was clearly written on my face. We stopped walking. Zak mirrored my confusion. 

“I just stopped to get a sub. I’m about five minutes away. Why?” I asked. 

In the background, I could hear sirens wailing. What confused me more is that I could hear them on the phone and in the distance. 

“Michael, you need to get to the apartments right away,” she said.

I looked up in the direction of my apartment building. 

“Why? What’s going—“

That’s when I saw it. In the blackness arose an orange glow, awful gray smoke billowed skyward. 

“I’m on my way,” I said, then hung up. 

A police cruiser came screaming down the street, followed by not one, but two ambulances. 

“Holy shit!” Zak exclaimed. 

He yanked his keys from his pocket and tapped my arm, breaking me out of my stupor. 

“Let’s go!”

I blindly followed, jumping into the passenger seat as Zak started the car. He ripped out of the parking lot, not caring that he was cutting people off or speeding as he slammed his foot on the gas. I held the blue leather seats for dear life. The car showed its true colors, the V12 engine snarling and the excessive amount of horsepower slamming me into my seat. I had been used to driving it gently. Zak drove like a bat of hell.  
We ripped onto a street a block from my apartments. There were people and cars everywhere. The street had been blocked off. Just a block down, the building I called home was engulfed in flames.  
Zak parked in a safe spot and turned the car off. I ripped my seatbelt off, climbed out of the car, and took off running. 

“Mikey!” Zak called. 

“Let’s go!” was all I said. 

I heard Zak tear off after me. I ran into the crowd. All of my neighbors surrounded several sets of ambulances. Some were in the backs getting oxygen and treated for any burns or other injuries. Zak caught up with me and took me by the shoulders. 

“Michael!” another man’s voice called. 

Zak and I spun around to see my parents run up to me, my father with my mother on his arm. 

“Dad?” I asked.

He walked up to me and hugged me, then looked up at Zak. 

“Zak? Didn’t expect to see you,” he said. 

Zak nodded shyly. 

“He drove me back down,” I explained. 

My mom hugged me, then nodded to Zak. 

“Zak,” she said stiffly. 

“Hey, Marni,” he said. 

My dad, who liked Zak better than my mom did, shook his hand. 

“Thanks for driving her,” he said. 

Zak smiled. 

“Yeah, Chris. No problem.”

I couldn’t take my eyes off of the blaze.

“What happened?” I asked. 

My dad crossed his arms over his chest. 

“Gas leak. The entire east side of the building is destroyed,” he replied. 

I felt like I couldn’t breathe.

“But, my apartment was on the east side,” I said quietly.

My mom bit her lip and took my hand. 

“I’m going to go see if I can find some more information,” my dad said.

My mom followed behind him. We watched as they slipped back through the crowd in search of someone of importance. 

My landlord appeared a few moments later to check in with me, explaining that she called my parents when she couldn’t get a hold of me. I checked my phone to see if I had a missed call. I didn’t see one and figured I must have been out of service when she called.  
When my parents returned, my dad’s expression was solemn. 

“The apartment’s gone, sweetheart,” he said. 

I looked down, trying to process everything.

“All of my stuff?” I asked, already knowing the answer. 

“Yeah,” he replied quietly, “You don’t want to see your car. The fire burned right through.”

I let out a shallow breath. 

“I had a fireproof safe in my bedroom. Do you think it survived?” I asked.

My dad nodded. 

“It’ll get taken care of,” he reassured me. 

I nodded. 

Everything. All of my things had gone up in my flames. My photography equipment, my computer, my clothes, my car. All I had to my name were in Zak’s trunk.  
I had forgotten Zak was behind me when he put a hand on my shoulder. I jumped. 

“Mikey,” he said softly. 

I looked up at him and a lump formed in my throat. My breathing caught. My kneecaps and hands trembled. 

“I don’t know what to say,” I managed to get out. 

Zak pulled me into a hug. 

“I’m sorry, sweetie,” he said. 

I closed my eyes, tears seeping through my eyelids. I pulled away from Zak, not letting go of his arms as I looked at the fire over my shoulder. 

“I guess,” I began, sniffing, “Looks like this would be a good time to take you up on that offer.” 

I looked back up at Zak. His eyes widened in the flashing red and blue lights. 

“Need a roommate?” I asked lightly, trying to somehow ease the heaviness of the situation. 

He was hard to read for a moment. His eyes were glued wide open, the gears of thought turning inside his head. 

“Actually, I do,” he finally replied. 

I felt my jaw drop and I stared at him in shock.

“Zak, I was kidding,” I said quickly. 

His expression was absolutely intense. 

“I’m serious, Mikey. It’s just me and Gray in a big empty house. It’s lonely. Whether you want to stay for a little while or a long time, I don’t care. It’s not like I’m going to charge you rent. You’re my best friend. I’d never do that. The last thing I want is for you to be homeless.”

I felt tears reemerge at the mention of the word “homeless.”

“We can discuss details later, but if you really want to, you can move in with me,” he said.

I yanked him back into a hug.

“Really?” I asked. 

I felt him nod. 

“Really, really,” he said. 

When we parted, my dad put a hand on my back. My mom cleared her throat. 

“What were your original plans for tonight?” she asked. 

I wiped my nose and sniffed. 

“Zak was going to stay the night. Head out before I left for work in the morning,” I said, “Now, I’m not sure.”

My mom studied Zak’s face for a moment. 

“Zak, look at me,” she ordered. 

Zak immediately obeyed. She examined his eyes before making a decision.

“You’re not driving back to Vegas tonight. Michael, his eyes are pink,” she said. 

I could just barely see his eyes for the reflection of the ambulance lights. 

“Okay. You two come to the house. Zak can take your brother’s old room. We’ll decide what to do in the morning. Michael, do you want to ride with Zak or us?” my mom asked. 

My mind went on automatic at that point. The acrid mixture of diesel fumes and the burning building was hazing my mind, and I knew Zak couldn’t be breathing it for much longer. 

“I’ll ride with Zak,” I replied numbly. 

My dad nodded. 

“Follow us,” he said to Zak. 

Zak nodded. My mom then hugged me and apologized. 

“We’ll get it all figured out. Just come home tonight,” she said. 

I nodded and gave her a small squeeze before we parted, and I walked with Zak to the car.  
On the way to my parents’, we were dead silent. Zak didn’t even bother turning the radio on, and in the padded cell that was the Rolls, I could hear my ears ringing. I couldn’t take my mind off of the fire. What if Zak had never called me?

“Hey, Zak?” I asked quietly. 

“Yeah, Mikey?”

I looked over to him. 

“You know if you had never called me, I might have burned to death,” I said. 

He sighed heavily.

“I was just thinking that,” he replied, “Did I tell you what happened in that dream?”

I shook my head.

“I was encircled in fire, but when I touched it, I repelled it,” he explained. 

I thought for a minute, trying to interpret his dream, but I was too tired. 

“You’re psychic,” was all I could think to say.

He laughed at that. 

“Maybe,” he admitted, then looked over at me, “You wanna head back with me tomorrow?”

I nodded. 

“I’ll call work. Tell them to take me off the schedule,” I replied, then smiled, “Kind of relieving, actually.”

Zak smiled. 

“We can talk Ghost Adventures when you’ve had some rest,” he said. 

I felt my heart sink.

“Zak, all of my equipment is gone,” I told him.

“Mikey, don’t worry about that,” he said as he turned into my parents’ driveway.

I stared at him in disbelief. He put the car in park and shut the engine off. The interior lights came on, illuminating us. He was staring at me. 

“Don’t worry about a damn thing. Let me take care of it,” he said. 

“But, Zak—“

He leaned over the console.

“Just come home,” he said sternly. 

I could only nod. Zak reached his long arms around me and hugged me for the thousandth time.  
The entire weekend, though fun while it lasted, had been an emotional rollercoaster for the two of us. Eight years had simply been far too long. We needed each other at this point in time, and whether it was psychic powers, the universe doing its thing, work of the paranormal, or something else entirely, I knew he had that dream for a reason. We were meant to reunite now.

It was time to go home.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading. Don't forget to leave some love in the comment section!


	5. The Vote

When Zak and I walked into my parents’ house, we could hear my dad on the phone in the kitchen and rustling coming from down the hall. Zak set our bags down on the bench in the foyer beside us and followed me into the living room. I pressed the button to the remote on the ceiling fan, illuminating the ‘70s ranch home I grew up in—wood-paneled walls and all. It was a gigantic change from Zak’s dark and modern dream house. The only thing the two houses had in common was the antique furniture. Thankfully, this wasn’t Zak’s first time at my parents’, and he got a kick out of the retro slap in the face.

“This place always reminds me of my grandma’s,” he said quietly. 

I snorted and smiled at him over my shoulder. 

“I’m not knocking it. Just sayin’,” he continued. 

I just shook my head. He followed me into the kitchen, where my dad was scrolling through his cell phone. The LEDs over the island were on, lighting the white tile countertop. A slew of snacks had been set out, which I found odd. 

“Hey, kids,” he said.

“Hey, dad,” I said quietly. 

Zak put his hands in his pockets and nervously nodded to him. My mom appeared before any more words could be exchanged. She was already in her nightgown and robe, slippers on and makeup removed. 

“Okay, Michael,” she said with a tone of authority—the “mom” tone, “Your bedroom is still set up from before. Zak, I have your bedding laid out in Ollie’s room. There are cookies and stuff set out. I have juice and tea in the fridge. You two help yourselves. If you stay up, keep the noise down. That’s all I ask.”

Zak and I just nodded. 

“Sleepover?” Zak whispered playfully. 

I had to laugh at that. My mom had always been like this when company was over. 

“Never too old,” I whispered. 

Zak bit his bottom lip.

“Zak,” my dad said. 

Zak immediately snapped to attention.

“I’m going to back the van out of the garage. Let you park your car in there,” he said.

Zak’s eyes widened.

“Oh, you don’t have to do that,” he said. 

My dad raised an eyebrow at him.

“That car costs more than mine and Marni’s combined,” he said, “It’s going in the garage. Let’s go.”

Zak obeyed and followed my dad to the garage door passed the fridge. I had to bite my cheek to keep from laughing.

“What kind of engine does that thing have?” my dad asked as he closed the door.

My mom crossed her arms and shook her head.

“They’ll be out there for a while,” she said. 

I moved to the island and selected a cookie from a box. My mom turned to me and put a hand on her hip. 

“Are you sleeping with him?” she asked bluntly. 

I sent cookie crumbs flying everywhere as I choked.

“Mom!” I exclaimed. 

She didn’t even flinch.

“I’m serious, Michael,” she stated.

“Oh my God, Mom! No!”

“Because I know how he is. He hits it and quits it,” she went on, “Commitment is not in his vocabulary.”

“Mom!” I growled, “Stop! He used to be that way. Even if he still is, it’s none of my business. We’re friends. Nothing more!”

“Would you listen to yourself? Jesus, Michael! Out of all of the times you insulted every guy you’ve met for being disrespectful and sworn you didn’t need one, you walk into evil’s arms just because he has a fast car and fame!”

I was absolutely infuriated.

“He could be broke and I wouldn’t care, but he’s worked his ass off for everything! He earned his money,” I snarled out.

My mom wasn’t having it. 

“How many times has he screwed around with demons?” she argued.

“How many people has he helped escape that shit?” I retorted.

She just shook her head. 

“The devil has a pretty face,” she said.

I glared daggers at her. 

“Zachary Bagans has never been disrespectful and he DAMN sure has never laid a hand on me!” I hissed. 

My mom looked away from me and tapped her fingers on her arm. 

“Have you slept with him? Are you dating? What is this?” she asked. 

“Why does it have to be anything?” I asked, “I can’t even look at him when he takes his shirt off without getting embarrassed! And no, we’re not dating. We’re not in a relationship. He’s my best friend. That’s it!”

Hell, I had never been in his bedroom before! This house or the old one. 

The door to the garage cracked open, my dad saying something and Zak laughing. 

“He’s not the same Zak you met like, nine years ago. He’s calmed down a lot. Even then, though, he was a good guy. Always has been,” I said, keeping my voice down.

My mom huffed.

“I just don’t want him hurting you. Every time you go off with them, I don’t see you for months,” she said. 

“If he hurt me, do you think I would hang around?” I asked, “Yes, he’s strict as a boss, but he wouldn’t let me get hurt.”

My mom just nodded. My dad and Zak reappeared through the doorway. My dad was grinning from ear to ear. I watched as he handed a familiar key fob back to Zak.

“Did he let you drive?” I asked.

Zak’s cheeks were pink as he smiled at my dad.

“That was so cool!” my dad laughed.

My mom rolled her eyes. 

“Oh my God, Chris,” she groaned.

“Hey! It’s not every day you get to drive a Rolls Royce. Even if it is just into a garage,” he said. 

We laughed at that. My mom finally cracked a smile. 

“Okay. I’m heading to bed,” she announced.

My dad agreed, and they said goodnight to us before leaving the kitchen. 

We stood in silence for a moment, not sure what to do next. I reached for a blue package from the counter and held it up to Zak.

“Cookie?” I asked. 

He smiled and took one. I set the box back down and picked another. 

“What a day, huh?” he asked.

I could only nod as I nibbled on my Chips Ahoy. Zak leaned his backside against the edge of the island and looked down at me.

“You doing okay?” he asked softly.

I shrugged my shoulders.

“I’m just numb. It doesn’t feel real, you know?”

He nodded in agreement and finished his cookie. He dusted his hands off and turned to face me. I shyly glanced up to meet his eyes.

“All of my work. All of my movies and music…I know they’re replaceable, but all of those pictures? Some are in hard drives in that safe, if it even made it. I had all of my pictures of you and the guys on that computer. All of my books and posters.”

Zak watched me intently. I raised my hand up and let it fall in defeat.

“It’s the weirdest void,” I said distantly.

“I’m sure Aaron and I have copies of some of those pictures. Hell, we might have some you didn’t have.”

“It’s not the same, though,” I whispered.

I glanced over to the sink on the far side of the room, not really focusing on it. 

“I know,” he said quietly, “I’m trying, Mikey. Whatever I can dig up from the old days, they’re yours.”

I looked up at him. I had never felt more empty, more shocked, or more heartache in my life. To lose everything you owned, minus a backpack full of some of your belongings, in one night, when you already hated how your life had been going? Horrible doesn’t even begin to describe it!

“I didn’t think shit could get any worse,” I said, starting to choke up.

Zak just shook his head. 

“That’s because it’s not. It’s going to get better from here on out. I promise you that,” he said.

I couldn’t say anything. I just watched him pleadingly. I was so done.

“We’re going to get the hell out of here,” he said, “We’re going to go back to Vegas, and we’re going to get you back on your feet. I’m going to try to make it like old times again. Back when shit was easier—well, maybe not easier, but not so dramatic.”

I had to smile at that. 

“Because let me tell you something,” he continued, “Minus the shit, this weekend? It’s been awesome.”

I smiled wider.

“Even if we did do nothing but watch TV and eat cake,” he added.

I laughed at that. In all honesty, I couldn't care less if that was my daily routine from now on—maybe not with cake, though.

“I guess the universe decided this was how our reunion was going to play out,” I said.

Zak’s nostrils flared.

“That’s fucked up. True, but fucked up,” he replied. 

I smiled and shook my head.

“But, you might be right,” he went on, “As crazy as it sounds, I had that dream for a reason.”

I nodded in agreement.

“You’ve always been pretty clairvoyant. I don’t think anything that’s happened was a coincidence. Paranormal? No. But…all I know is, I’ve missed you guys, and I’m so fucking sick of hurting. I didn’t realize how dark everything had gotten until now.”

“Dark times always pass,” he reminded me.

I sniffed, trying not to get emotional again. I looked up at him as he blinked. He was exhausted. His eyes were indeed bloodshot, though one could hardly tell. His eyelids were so heavy. For someone who could be an expert stoic, you could always tell when he was sleepy. It was only in these instances where I would boss Zak Bagans around. 

“I know,” I said, “Come on.”

He straightened and followed me out of the kitchen.

“Where are we going?” he asked.

“Bed. I’ll show you where Oliver’s room is,” I said.

Zak snorted.

“Have you had enough of me for tonight?” he asked.

We entered the hallway and stopped at my brother’s old bedroom. I turned the lights on for him.

“You need sleep. Mom was right. Your eyes are red,” I said.

At the mention of his eyes, he rubbed them behind his glasses. I stepped back out of the hall and into the foyer, grabbing his backpack for him. When I returned, he took it and thanked me. 

“What time do you want to leave out tomorrow?” I asked.

He opened his backpack on the bed and shrugged. 

“Whenever you’re ready,” he said.

I nodded. He pulled his phone charger out of his bag and walked back up to me. 

“Okay. I’m just across the hall if you need me. The bathroom is next door,” I said.

He nodded, then pulled me into a hug once more. I didn’t hesitate to hug him back.

“Sleep tight, Mikey,” he said.

We parted.

“You, too. Night, Zak.”

I turned to go to my room. He smiled tiredly.

“Night, Michael.”

***

Zak turned the lamp on the end table on and sat on the bed, phone plugged to its charger. He scrolled through his contacts and created a group text to Aaron and their friend and EVP Analyst, Billy Tolley. 

“Are you guys up?” he texted.

Aaron was the first to reply. 

“Yeah g. What’s up?” Aaron replied.

About a minute later, Billy replied.

“Yeah man. What’s goin' on?” 

Zak quickly typed out “group call.” He opened FaceTime and began a conference call. Aaron and Billy’s faces appeared moments later.

“Hey, bro. What’s going on?” Aaron asked.

Billy squinted.

“What the hell is going on? Where are you?” he asked.

Zak turned his head to see a poster from a video game above his bed.

“I’m at Mikey’s parents’ house. Her brother’s old room,” he replied.

Aaron looked frightened.

“Why?” he asked. 

Zak let out a deep breath and explained the night’s events. When he was finished, they were floored.

“Jesus,” Billy sighed. 

“What do you want us to do?” Aaron asked before Zak could ask. 

Zak smiled. 

“Yeah,” Billy chimed in, “What can we do?”

“Bring her back with you!” Aaron exclaimed before Zak could reply.

“I am!” Zak squeaked out, “I offered to let her live with me. Whether that’s a week or whatever.”

The guys nodded.

“Good,” Aaron said stubbornly.

Billy raised an eyebrow at him. Zak caught the gesture and rolled his eyes.

“I know what you’re thinking, Bill. Stop,” he said. 

Aaron was laughing. Billy smiled.

“I have a game-plan, but it’s going to take more than me,” Zak said.

“Let us have it,” Billy said.

“Everything was destroyed in that fire. Clothes, electronics…girly stuff,” he said quickly.

Billy tried not to laugh. 

“Girly stuff?” Aaron asked.

“You know! Makeup and shit!”

Aaron nodded.

“Anyway,” Zak went on, “If she decides to come back to the show, she’s going to need new equipment.”

“On it,” Aaron said.

Zak smiled at that.

“Yeah, but clothes and things first,” Billy said, “I’ll take that chore.”

“Really?” Zak asked.

Billy smiled.

“Absolutely,” he replied.

“Okay. I’ll take care of what I can get my hands on. I need to make some calls and send out some emails. I want everyone at my house tomorrow night. Or, I guess tonight,” Zak said, “We’ll call Jay. I’m going to text him and catch him up to speed.”

Aaron and Billy nodded. 

“Mikey doesn’t know about any of this, okay? So, no one text her or anything. Wait until tomorrow when we get back. If you guys need me to pick up anything you can’t get, text me.”

“Can do, bro,” Billy said. 

Aaron nodded.

“Yeah, same here. We’re just glad you guys are safe,” he said. 

Zak smiled.

“Thanks. Listen. I’m going to try and get some sleep. Come over around 6:00 tomorrow night. I’ll have food ready,” he said.

Aaron’s eyes lit up at that.

“Awesome! See ya later, G.”

“Night, Zak. Be careful driving back,” Billy said.

Zak promised he would, and with that, the call ended. He then sent out a handful of text messages and an email or two to some of his connections. He was determined to give Michael’s life back to her in less than 24 hours. Even if they missed something, he wanted her to have a whole new life waiting for her when they returned to Las Vegas. He knew in his heart, even though it happened tragically, that dream he had was for a reason. 

***

We had just pulled through the gate and were traveling through Zak’s neighborhood when my mom sent me a link to a local news website about the fire at the apartments. I read through it and was left dumbfounded. 

“Holy shit,” I said flatly.

Zak turned his turn signal on and turned onto his street.

“What?” he asked. 

“Four dead after that fire,” I said. 

Zak stared at me shock. I couldn’t see his eyes for his tinted lenses, but his jaw was slack. 

“Are you shitting me?” he asked. 

Another text from my mother came through. When I read it, I let my phone fall from my hands and into the floorboard.

“One was a child,” I said. 

Zak let out a shallow breath and shook his head as we pulled into the driveway. 

“Jesus,” he whispered. 

All I could do was shake my head and stare out the window as the garage door opened. We pulled in and Zak killed the engine. I shivered as I tried to process the last several hours. 

“Don’t dwell upon it too much,” Zak said, as if he could read my mind, “Let’s just forget about it. The guys are coming over for dinner. We can just talk and chill.”

I nodded in agreement. 

I helped Zak take the handfuls of paper sacks inside. I had had no preference for dinner, so he chose pizza. Several different kinds, two different calzones, including a cinnamon one, and stuff to make salad. He hated restaurant salad, and I didn’t mind helping as he chopped his own head of lettuce and vegetables. Honestly, it looked a million times tastier than your average side salad.   
When the doorbell rang, Gracie shot off through the living room sounding the alarm. Zak popped a cherry tomato into his mouth and looked over his shoulder.

“Shit! What time is it?” he asked. 

I watched him check the time on the stove as I set out the paper plates. The clock read 7:04.

“Damn! I didn’t know it was that late,” he said. 

I set the stack of plates down on the island. 

“I’ll get it,” I offered. 

Zak just nodded and focused back on his salad crafting. I walked with Gracie into the living room to the large glass doors. Through the curving metal on the outside, I could see Aaron, Billy, and Dakota on the other side. Aaron had a huge grin on his face, and Billy and Dakota were laughing at something that had been said. I opened the door for them. 

“Hey guys!” I said happily. 

Aaron and Billy tackled me. 

“Mikey!” they screamed. 

I squeaked as Aaron smashed me to him. 

“Jesus, Aaron! Didn’t you guys just see each other?” Billy asked. 

Aaron mock cried. 

“It felt like forever!” he cried. 

We laughed and I finally wriggled out of Aaron’s grasp to hug Billy. 

“Hey, kid,” he said warmly, patting my back, “How are ya?”

I smiled. 

“I’m okay, Billy,” I replied. 

Over his shoulder, Dakota was awkwardly standing by, not sure what to do with himself. 

“This isn’t the same Dakota from those spoofs, is it?” I asked.

Billy let me go so I could greet their newest and youngest crew member. Dakota just grinned. 

“Nah, that was another Dakota,” he said. 

Billy snorted. 

“Unfortunately,” he said jokingly. 

“Yeah, that’s the same one,” Aaron said, “Dammit.”

I laughed and shook Dakota’s hand. 

“Hi, Dakota. I’m Mikey,” I said. 

Dakota smiled.

“Hi. I’m Dakota,” he said shyly. 

I had to smile at him. As much as he’d grown since he had made his first appearance on the show, he was still the same goofy kid.   
Aaron slung an arm around my shoulders.

“What’s for dinner?” he asked. 

I opened my mouth to reply when Zak’s voice echoed off of the high ceilings. 

“You guys come in here and grab a plate!” he called. 

I looked up at Aaron. 

“Pizza,” I replied. 

Dakota made victory fists. 

“Yes!” he exclaimed, then ran ahead of us, Billy and Aaron just shaking their heads. 

We followed into the kitchen where Zak immediately jumped his ass about not washing his hands first. We were forced to follow suit before congregating in the dining room. Zak had some paperwork ready to go over for our meeting, but for that first hour, we chowed down and laughed. That second hour, though I should have been paying attention, left me bored out of my skull. It was official. Zak Bagans had turned into that old, boring CEO that cared way more about the meeting than anyone in attendance. Aaron, Dakota and I silently flicked shreds of napkin at each other every time Zak looked away.   
A wad shot across the table as Zak droned on about a lockdown coming in a week’s time. It hit Billy’s elbow. Dakota clapped his hand over his mouth, trying desperately not to laugh. Zak was paying no attention as he read something to us from his phone. Billy, who seemed to be the only one paying attention, glared daggers at Dakota. I nearly lost it when he reached over and slapped the boy’s arm. Still, Zak was in his own world. 

“Stop it!” Billy mouthed, then turned to Aaron.

Aaron looked off into space as if he didn’t know what was going on. He initiated the fight.

“For real,” Billy whispered.

Aaron bit his lip, trying not to laugh. 

“So, all I have to do now is confirm traveling. It’s an 18 hour drive, but we have some time,” Zak said.

It was Aaron’s turn to get serious.

“Whoa! We’re not flying?” he asked.

“Not when these two lockdowns are back to back. They’re on the way. No sense in flying. We can take the bus,” he said, “But, there is something I want to settle before we make any arrangements.”

We looked on curiously. Zak’s eyes flashed up to me.

“Would you be interested in joining us this season?” he asked.

I bit my lip as I felt all eyes on me.

“I…I don’t know. I guess. I’ll have to go pick some equipment up before we leave. Everything is gone,” I reminded him. 

Aaron smiled and suddenly stood up from the table.

“Nonsense, Mikey-moo. Come outside,” he said. 

We all watched as Aaron stood and fished his keys out of his pocket. I looked from Aaron to Zak, confused. Zak smiled warmly. 

“Mikey!” Aaron exclaimed.

I followed Aaron out of the dining room, the rest of the guys in tow. We walked through the front door, an excited Gracie joining us on our walk to the driveway.   
When we emerged from the front gate, Aaron pressed a button on his keys, unlocking the black Ford Explorer with familiar Big Steppin stickers on the back bumper. It was honestly a sight for sore eyes. 

“Oh my god! You still have it?” I asked.

Aaron laughed. 

“I’m not like Count Drives A Lot over here,” he said, pointing around me to Zak, “I’m good with my little SUV.”

We laughed at that. 

Aaron started to open the back door when Zak jumped in front of him.

“Wait, wait, wait! Maybe we should explain this to Mikey first,” he said. 

Aaron nodded.

“Yeah. This is kind of a big bomb to drop,” he agreed.

I eyed the guys accusingly.

“What are you guys talking about?” I asked, putting my hands on my hips.

Aaron was shaking with excitement. Zak just looked guilty.

“We might have taken on a little project under your nose,” he started.

I narrowed my eyes at him. What the hell did that mean?

“What?” I asked.

Zak wrung his hands nervously and sighed. 

“I spoke with Aaron and Billy last night. I told them what happened,” he said. 

Aaron shuffled his feet and looked down sadly. Billy put a hand on my shoulder.

“We’re really sorry about what happened. Don’t be mad at Zak for telling us,” he said. 

“I’m not mad. It wasn’t a secret. I just didn’t know you guys knew,” I replied. 

Aaron watched me with sad puppy eyes. Zak fidgeted nervously, as if he was scared I was going to hit him for telling. 

“What…happened?” Dakota asked meekly, completely lost.

Billy cast a glance over his shoulder at the younger man.

“Her apartment burned down last night,” he replied quietly.

Dakota shuddered and his eyes slammed open.

“Oh my God!” he exclaimed, “I’m so sorry.”

I just smiled sadly, not being able to make myself respond.

“Michael,” Zak said, making me look at him.

I watched as he stepped closer to me, his anxiety starting to fade.

“I hated seeing how hurt you were—how hurt you are! Between the events of last night and the nightmare I had, I knew it happened for a reason and I had to do something. I wasn’t about to let you have the chance to mourn the loss over your things and your home. So, I called Aaron and Billy, and we made a plan. You wouldn’t come back to Las Vegas with just a backpack.”

I was slowly starting to understand what he was telling me. It quickly became apparent that within the last 12 or so hours, he had been up to no good. 

“What did you do, Zak?” I asked.

His cheeks tinged pink as he tried not to smile. 

“We bought your life back,” he said.

With that, Aaron opened the back of his SUV. I nearly had a heart attack when I peered in. 

“What?” I gasped.

Inside were boxes and boxes of camera gear.

“This is some of the gear we use on the show, plus a new DSLR to help you build your kit back up again. This is the one I use. I love it,” Aaron explained.

I felt like all the wind had been knocked out of me.

“Holy shit! No!” was all I could think to say.

“This is their way of buying you back into the show,” Billy teased.

I stepped closer to the SUV to get a better look.

“This is insane, Aaron! I don’t even know how to use half of this!” I turned to face Zak, “Do you see why I said I wasn’t qualified?”

Dakota propped himself up on the back bumper.

“We can teach you,” he offered, “It’s pretty easy once you get the hang of it.”

Zak had his arms crossed over his chest. His eyes had a glimmer of mischief behind his glasses.

“You’re plenty qualified,” he said. 

I cocked an eyebrow up.

“So, is this your way of buying me back?” I asked.

Zak just smiled.

“I might’ve helped,” he confessed.

I felt my jaw drop. Aaron smiled proudly. I pulled him into a hug. 

“Thank you,” I said.

“You’re welcome, kiddo,” he said, giving me a light squeeze.

“Mikey,” Billy spoke up.

I turned to see Billy grin and hand me a stack of cards. Confused, I took them and began to shuffle through them. The entire stack was full of gift cards of various generous prices. Everywhere from Target to designer stores.

“I don’t know your size, and I didn’t want to screw up, so I settled for gift cards. Get you some new clothes,” he exclaimed.

“Billy,” I said in awe, then looked up at him, “You didn’t have to do that.”

I then turned to Aaron.

“You guys didn’t have to do all of this,” I repeated.

Aaron put an arm around my shoulders.

“Well, this was partially Zak’s idea,” Aaron said. 

I looked to see Zak roll his eyes. I smiled at Aaron and Billy.

“Thank you, guys,” I said.

I reached over to hug Billy. Billy rubbed my back and gave me a light squeeze.

“You’re welcome, Mikey,” he said quietly.

“Aw, come on! Now I feel bad!” Dakota said. 

We laughed at him.

“Don’t,” I said, “It’s fine, Dakota. Really.”

He just smiled.

“I think Jay got you some gift cards, too,” Billy said.

“Yeah,” Zak agreed, “He said he’ll give them to you next time he’s in town.”

I just groaned.

“This is too much!” I mock whined.

Aaron snorted.

“Zak, did you show her what you got?” he asked.

Zak smiled. He reached into his pocket and produced a folded piece of paper. I took it and opened it. At first, I was confused. It looked like an ordinary invoice. However, when I read it closely, my heart leapt into my throat. 

“Can’t do any editing for us without a computer,” Zak said. 

“Or the printer or the scanner or the hard drives,” Billy teasingly listed.

On the invoice was a ridiculously large order of computer equipment. The total made me choke.

“Zak!” I exclaimed, smacking his arm, “Are you serious right now?”

He gave me a boyish grin.

“So, is this a bribe? I mean, for real?” I asked, now worried about the ungodly amount of money that had been spent.

“Mikey,” he began, walking around me and sitting beside Dakota on Aaron’s bumper.

He looked off in the distance and took a deep breath.

“I can’t lie. I bought Dakota a bunch of shit, too, when he started, but it was shit he needed. These are things you need, whether you come back or not. These things are 100 percent yours. I’m not loaning them. I’m not bribing you. We did this because you are our best friend. We wanted you to be in safe place, with a roof over your head, and whatever you needed to work. Whether you do it with us, or freelance, or whatever you want. I couldn’t stand to watch that apartment burn and see your tears. I hated that for you.”

I bit my bottom lip, trying to scrounge up a reply in my mind.

“But,” I said in a small voice, “I can never repay you for this. Zak, this is a lot!”

He suddenly stood up and rushed me. I froze when he took me gently by the shoulders. 

“You don’t have to! Okay?” he asked, desperately searching my eyes.

All I could do was nod. 

“C’mere,” he whispered.

I let him pull me into a hug. I put my arms around his broad frame and laid my cheek on his chest.

“Thank you,” I murmured.

“You’re welcome, Mikey,” he replied.

I felt a hand touch my back and saw Aaron appear out of the corner of my eye.

“Just looking out for ya. Always have. Always will,” he said. 

I smiled as Zak and I parted. I looked up at Zak, then to Aaron, Billy, and Dakota.

For the first time in eight years, I felt like I was standing in a place where my feet belonged. I felt welcome in the presence of others. No longer was I chained to a landlord, with my parents looming, and swallowing the ever-present struggle of working a puny retail job to make ends meet. I was surrounded by the warm embrace of my best friend—my family. I knew my decision was made long before Aaron lifted the back door.

“Zak?” I asked.

His hand had never left my shoulder, and moved to my upper back, lightly rubbing it.

“Yeah?” he asked.

I took a deep breath and looked up at him. 

“Can I come back to Ghost Adventures?” I asked shyly.

The look of uncertainty on his face was washed away, instantly replaced by one of the biggest, proudest smiles. He draped a large, heavy arm around my shoulders and pulled me to him.

“What do you think, guys?” he asked, looking from me to his brothers, “All in favor of letting our little sister tag along?”

Aaron jumped up and down excitedly.

“Yes!” Billy said.

“Hell fucking yes!” Aaron exclaimed.

Zak curled his lip at him.

“The fuck, G?” he asked.

Aaron immediately calmed down. 

“Sorry,” he apologized, “I got excited.”

Zak laughed and shook his head.

“Do I get vote?” Dakota asked, shyly raising his hand.

“Yeah,” Billy said.

“Your vote is yes,” Zak said, “I don’t give a shit what you were fixing to say.

Aaron, Billy and I burst out laughing. Dakota just grinned.

“It was gonna be yes, anyway,” he said with a shrug.

“Damn right,” Zak said jokingly.

Billy smiled at the youngest crew member.

“I’ll speak on behalf of Jay. Absolutely,” he said.

Zak playfully yanked me against his side, causing me to lose balance and fall against him. I laughed and pushed against him, but the man was made of stone. I couldn’t budge him if I tried. Forget escaping the headlock he created. 

“Looks like the family is starting to come back together. I vote a thousand times yes,” he said. 

The boys shouted out loud enough for the neighbor’s dogs to start barking and huddled around us. I laughed as I received hugs from all of them. Never did I see this day coming, and I was still in disbelief.

“Welcome back, sweetie,” Zak said quietly amongst the ruckus.

I had the most horrendous case of butterflies as he kissed the top of my head. Of course, he had done it a thousand times by now, but I always reacted the same. I felt my entire face heat up, and I finally had to force myself out of his grip. I played it off by laughing at him and fanning him away.   
Aaron grabbed a handful of camera gear and shut his SUV back.

“Come on, Mikey! Let’s go open up your presents!” he said excitedly.

I laughed and took a few out of his hands before he dropped them on the concrete.

“Right behind you, bro,” I replied.

***

Billy and Zak watched on as their co-investigator, cameraman, and newly reinstated photographer, ran back up to the gate like little kids on Christmas. Zak couldn’t stop smiling, and for the first time in weeks, his darkness was nearly nonexistent. The fear of losing his show was forgotten, and the void he had been struggling with that had nearly swallowed him up was shrinking. 

“Little sister?” Billy asked accusingly, breaking Zak out of his thoughts.

He looked at Billy, confused.

“Huh?” he asked, for the moment genuinely perplexed by the question.

Billy shifted his weight from foot to foot and crossed his arms over his chest. Zak was unsure of how to react as Billy prepared to lecture him. 

“Or potential girlfriend?” he asked.

Zak felt his jaw drop. 

“What the hell are you talking about?” he blurted out.

“Bro! There has never been a moment where you looked at her like a sister. For fuck sake, Zak! What did you spend those first months doing?”

“Bill-“

“Flirting with her nonstop? Asking her out?” Billy continued.

“Yeah, and I still feel shitty for acting like I did. Those were different times,” Zak finally said.

“Same feelings,” Billy said stubbornly.

Zak felt his cheeks light on fire. He couldn’t hide his emotions from the EVP Analyst. Never could.  
A smile crept upon Billy’s face.

“That connection you two made? That weird plane of emotion you two seemed to vibrate on?” Billy asked, “It never left, did it?”

Zak stuffed his hands in his pockets, the early years replaying in his mind. The first time they met. His desperate attempts to flirt. Every time she turned his date proposals down. She had every reason to. He had acted like an asshole during the second season. They even fought many times until certain events happened that led her to living with him.   
He had been the happiest then—the most passionate. He was slowly beginning to admit to himself that Billy may be right. 

“I guess not,” Zak quietly admitted.

Billy smiled.

“Come on,” he said, “Let’s go inside and watch the kids open their presents.”

Zak nodded and followed the older man back to the gate, the reality of a second chance beginning to soak in.


	6. Repaying an Old Debt

When the sun rose over Las Vegas the next morning, it brought with it warmth and peace. Sunlight reflected off of the pool in the backyard, allowing wisps of light to swim across my ceiling. They were mesmerizing, and when I opened my eyes, I spent countless minutes watching them as my body woke up. I had no idea how long I spent watching the reflections, but it was enough time to take in my surroundings. A relatively empty guest bedroom, the scent of leather from the expensive and unnecessarily luxurious headboard, and the distant sound of running water from the waterfall outside.   
    I twisted in the sheets and stretched. I took a deep breath, inhaling probably the cleanest air in Las Vegas. With Zak’s allergies and asthma, air filters and purifiers were musts. It was like stepping out into the warm spring air and taking a deep breath, minus the pollen. The whole house smelled refreshing, but at this time of day, the air was usually perfumed with the spicy and mouthwatering aromas of food. This morning, I smelled nothing. I couldn’t hear anything either.   
  
“He must still be asleep,” I mumbled to myself.  
  
    I rolled over to pick my cell phone off of the nightstand. The time read 8:30. I set it back down and rolled over to get up. Zak and I had gone to bed at a decent hour last night. I guessed he would be up soon.   
    After getting around and putting some more decent clothes on, I opened my bedroom door. Outside, no lights were on. The big windows above the front door and throughout the living room and kitchen illuminated the house without the need for electricity. However, the energy in the house felt off. Not necessarily compromised by something dark or evil, but I sensed a change in the air. I couldn’t tell if it was paranormal or not, but I put my mental block up anyway.  
    I slipped out of my bedroom, padding across the cold tile floor and around the corner to the living room. Inside, was freezing, the smell of the outdoors floating in. I squinted in the bright light. To my surprise, the back door had been left open. I froze on the spot, thinking the worst. I grounded myself and let my body tune into my surroundings. I tried to sense an unwelcome presence, such as a stranger or intruder. Fortunately, I came up with nothing. So, why was the door open?  
    I stepped closer to an armchair, seeing a flicker of Gracie running along the back fence with a toy in her mouth. The TV was on and muted, and on the couch was a mound of blankets, a certain paranormal investigator curled up in a ball not unlike a cat. All I could make out of him was the top of his head, black hair freshly washed and void of product. His face was buried in the blanket.  
    I smiled and let my guard down. However, I was worried. What in hell was he doing buried on the couch with the TV muted and the door wide open? That’s when I saw the box of tissues on the coffee table and a pile of cough drops.  
    Gracie, after spotting me through the door, ran inside and happily jumped on me. I smiled at her and hugged her before she hopped down. I walked around the couch to the back door to shut the winter air out. I proceeded to walk up to the sleeping lump on the couch and sat down on the edge of the coffee table.  
  
“Zak?” I whispered.  
  
    I reached up and touched his shoulder. He slowly roused, lifting his face out of the blankets. He inhaled deeply and sleepily blinked at me.  
  
“Mornin’,” he croaked out.   
  
“Hey,” I said softly, “What are you doing with the door wide open?”  
  
    He groaned and rolled onto his back.  
  
“Shit,” he said quietly, “I let Gray out and came back to lay down. I got super light-headed.”  
  
    I frowned. It was then I noticed how pale he was.   
      
    As he yawned, he burst out into a fit of coughing. I moved to sit on the edge of the couch.  
  
“Goddammit!” he growled.  
  
    He draped an arm over his eyes.  
  
“I feel like shit,” he grumbled.  
  
    I sighed. That was why the energy in the house was off—his energy was off.  
  
“I wondered why it was so quiet,” I said jokingly.  
  
    Half a smile appeared on his lips before quickly falling away.  
  
“Probably from breathing in all of that smoke and shit,” I went on.  
  
    He could only nod. He lifted his arm and reached for his blankets. I felt his forehead and cheeks. His skin was on fire.  
  
“Zak, you’re burning up,” I said worriedly.  
  
“For the love of God, don’t call my mom,” he said.  
  
    I laughed at that. As loving and nurturing as his mother was, she drove him insane when he was sick. We had been there before.  
  
“I won’t,” I promised, “Have you taken anything?”  
  
    He shook his head and pulled his blankets to his chin.  
  
“Okay,” I replied, “Where’s your meds? You need to get this fever down.”  
  
“Kitchen counter. I don’t know if I have any fever reducer or not. Can you see?”  
  
    I nodded and stood up to go to the kitchen. Inside, just next to the stove were a few jugs of pre-workout, and at least 11 pill bottles, only two of which were prescription. Others were vitamins and supplements, stomach remedies, and various pain relievers.  
  
“Jesus Christ,” I muttered.   
  
    He was worse than an old person.  
  
    I shuffled through his bottles. Vitamin C capsules, two allergy relief bottles, pain relievers. Nothing. Not even cough syrup, but he was allergic to most of them due to the dye.   
  
“How many pills do you need?” I called out sarcastically.  
  
    Zak barked out a cough.  
  
“Most of those need to be thrown out. Just supplements I thought I’d try,” he called back.  
  
    I grabbed the Vitamin C caps and retrieved a bottle of water from the refrigerator. Then, I returned to the couch.  
  
“I couldn’t find anything for your fever, but do you want some Vitamin C? Get some of that down you?” I asked.  
  
    He just nodded and reached for them. I handed him the bottle of water and pills. He popped one and chugged the water. When finished, he let out a pained groan.  
  
“I hate to ask you this, Mikey,” he began, “But if I write down a grocery list, can you run and pick them up?”  
  
    I nodded.  
  
“Of course.”  
  
    Zak weakly sat up, wrapping his blankets around him.   
  
“Let me go get my wallet,” he said.  
  
    I watched as he shuffled off down the hall. I walked back into the kitchen and decided to go ahead and feed and water Gracie before he forgot. Gracie happily made a mess out of her food.  
    When he returned, he handed me his credit card, another card, and a set of keys.  
  
“You think you can handle the Raptor?” he asked.   
  
    I nodded. He walked over to the console table beside the front door and grabbed a notepad and a pen. He spent a moment scribbling down his list before ripping the sheet from the pad and handing it to me. I read over it, making sure I could read it.   
  
“You make sure you get something to eat, too. I don’t mind. Just make sure it won’t spoil before we get back from our next lockdowns,” he said.  
  
    I nodded. Most of his list was stuff I could get at CVS. Drink mixes, vapor rub, cough drops, and cold and flu pills. Everything else was mostly food. Organic juices, a box of tea that I had never heard of, various vegetables, fruit, meat, and a bag of dog food for Gracie.   
  
“Do you want me to get anything else?” I asked, “Toilet paper? Lysol?”  
  
“Go ahead and get the wipes. I hate the spray. It stinks like someone has puked,” he griped.   
  
    I had to laugh at that. He wasn’t lying.   
  
“Most of this is at CVS. The health food store is just a block over. Do you know where the CVS is?” he asked.  
  
    I shook my head.  
  
“Nah,” I replied, “I have GPS on my phone. I’ll find it.”  
  
    Zak smiled.  
  
“The truck has GPS too, if you want to use it,” he said, “If you can’t find anything on here, it’s not a big deal. Don’t worry about it. Get whatever you might need. I don’t mind.”  
  
    I eyed him accusingly.  
  
“This is dangerous, you know?” I teased, waving his card.  
  
    Zak smiled and rolled his eyes.  
  
“It’s fine. I trust you,” he said.   
  
    I snorted at the thought of what his bank statement would look like. If I purchased tampons, would it show up? I knew Aaron would get a laugh out of it.   
  
“The other card is the gate key,” he explained.  
  
    I looked down at the card and nodded.  
  
“Okay.”  
  
“Tank is full. Don’t worry about refilling it. You should be good,” he said, “Oh! House keys should be on there.”  
  
    I nodded and placed the items in my pocket before I lost them.  
  
“Okay. You. Bed,” I ordered.  
  
    Zak arched an eyebrow and smirked. I rolled my eyes.  
  
“Oh?” he asked jokingly.  
  
    I grabbed him by the arms and spun him around in the direction of the couch.  
  
“You need to get that fever down. I’m not spending the night in the ER,” I proclaimed.  
  
    Zak willingly shuffled back to the couch, stiffly laying down. I grabbed his blankets and tucked him back in.   
  
“Oh, shit!” he barked out.   
  
    Worried I had hurt him, I froze.  
  
“What?”   
  
    He closed his eyes and snarled.  
  
“I have that fucking interview at the museum tonight,” he spat.  
  
“With who?” I asked.  
  
    He settled into the cushions and growled.  
  
“Some radio station. Dammit,” he breathed out.  
  
    I shook my head.  
  
“Not when you’re running a temperature,” I ordered.  
  
“Mikey—“  
  
“Break it and if you still feel up to it, maybe, but not like this. You’re white as a ghost and your cheeks are beet red. Absolutely not,” I ordered.  
  
    Zak felt his cheeks.  
  
“I don’t feel hot,” he said.  
  
    I sighed. He suddenly grinned.  
  
“Is this payback for when I forced you and Nick to stay in that attic and you both got sick?” he asked.  
  
    I laughed at that, remembering when we were forced to stay in a hotel two extra days because Nick and I were near death—or at least, that’s what it felt like.  
  
“No,” I replied, “Maybe for how your ass fussed and fought with me for two days straight afterward, though.”  
  
    Zak laughed at that.  
  
“We didn’t fight,” he said.  
  
    I snorted.  
  
“You wouldn’t let me get a tissue by myself!”  
  
    Zak rolled his eyes. His eyelids were starting to get heavy again.  
  
“Just sleep,” I said, “I’ll be back in a little while. You got your phone?”  
  
    He tiredly patted his pocket.  
  
“Okay. I’m out of here.”   
  
“Call me if you need me,” Zak said, “Drive safe.”  
  
“I will,” I called as I left the living room.  
  
    Gracie followed me through the kitchen to the garage door. I turned to pet her and say goodbye, then went out to the truck.   
    Zak, being long-legged and possessing a stupidly inflated masculine ego, customized his Raptor like most lifted truck guys. No running boards. My head just barely met the bottom of the rearview mirror. It was no problem getting in it when he picked me up in Flagstaff, for he had parked next to a curb. It took muscles to climb in it from a flat floor. I silently cursed him as I clambered in and shut the door. My tune quickly changed, however, when I started the engine and it roared to life. I couldn’t make myself stop smiling. This was trouble waiting to happen.  
  
***  
  
    I remembered the year Nick and I got sick after a lockdown. It was my last full season with the crew, and by full, I mean 27 episodes worth of filming. We went nonstop, and it was no wonder our immune systems were compromised. Aaron was working on losing weight and getting into better shape, but Zak’s lung function was beginning to become a problem, and the least little exposure to the cold could have sent Nick and I to the emergency room. Billy and Zak had to play nurse for us, and poor Jay, being on his first season with us, didn’t know what to think.   
    The location was fuzzy. Being to so many places in such a little amount of time, I couldn’t recall the location. I remembered it being basically ruins, full of mold, and cold misting rain soaking Nick and I. By the next morning, we were sick.  
  
 _“I swear to God, Nick. It's your ribs that are taking so long!” Zak griped._  
  
 _“Aaron's Vlog,” Aaron said into his camcorder._  
  
 _“Are you kidding me, Aaron?” Nick snapped._  
  
 _“Nick, calm down, man,” said Zak._  
  
 _“I can't stand that shit! We're about to eat, Aaron. Put that camera up!” Nick growled._  
  
 _“Somebody didn't get their nap out,” Aaron said into the camera._  
  
 _“Of course I didn't! We had to get fucking breakfast. We're supposed to be in bed!” Nick griped, then sneezed._  
  
 _Aaron jumped away from Nick._  
  
 _“Dude, you are not getting me sick!” Aaron declared._  
  
 _“I'm not sick!” he argued._  
  
 _“You sure sound sick,” Zak murmured._  
  
 _Nick sniffed and rubbed his nose._  
  
 _“I can't smell anything,” Nick whined._  
  
 _The waitress arrived with a large tray and began to place our food in front of us. It was early for lunch. We had stopped at a Waffle House after leaving the location. The original plan was to head back to the hotel and go to bed, but the boys had been on such an adrenaline rush, they decided to go get breakfast. All morning we had been on a sugar high and we were now crashing. However, Zak was hungry, so we stopped at a Hard Rock Cafe near the hotel for lunch._  
  
 _“And here are your ribs, sugar,” the waitress said to Nick._  
  
 _Nick stared at his food until the waitress left._  
  
 _“I can't even smell my damn food!” he complained._  
  
 _Zak and Aaron laughed as they dug into their meals._  
  
 _“I told you not to go into that storage room. You knew the window was broken out,” Zak said._  
  
 _“But I heard something. I swear!” Nick said._  
  
 _“Did you get rained on?” Aaron asked, “Zak and I did a little.”_  
  
 _I was picking at my sandwich when my throat began to itch. I pulled my t-shirt collar over my mouth and nose and barked out a cough that hurt deep in my chest._  
  
 _“Ow!” I whined and doubled over, laying my forehead on the table._  
  
 _“Both of you are getting sick. I knew it!” Aaron said._  
  
 _“Aaron, calm down,” Zak said, “Mikey, are you okay?”_  
  
 _I sat up. I felt terrible. My muscles were sore and my head was getting stuffy._  
  
 _“No,” I groaned._  
  
 _“Dude,” Nick said._  
  
 _I looked over at Nick._  
  
 _“Does it feel like your nose is swelling up?” he asked me._  
  
 _I reached up and rubbed under my right eye._  
  
 _“It's getting there,” I replied._  
  
 _Zak sat forward._  
  
 _“Okay, guys. Try and eat and we are going straight to the hotel and both of you better go to bed. That means no photo analyzing, no blogging, and no Tweeting,” Zak ordered._  
  
 _Nick groaned and propped his head on a hand. I took a small bite of my sandwich and slammed it back down. The usually spicy chicken sandwich was absolutely tasteless._  
  
 _***_  
  
 _Aaron walked with me as I shuffled to my room._  
  
 _“You good, Mikey?” he asked._  
  
 _“I'll be okay. Which room is Zak's?” I asked._  
  
 _Aaron looked confused, but pointed down the hall._  
  
 _“Next to that fire extinguisher,” he replied._  
  
 _I looked and then turned to my door and opened it._  
  
 _“Goodnight, Mikey,” said Aaron._  
  
 _“Night, Aaron,” I croaked and walked into my room._  
  
 _The day before, Aaron, Nick and I decided to pull a prank on Zak and stuff his pillows in the mini fridge. I had not forgotten about the prank, and I knew Zak rediscovering his pillows would set him off. I had four pillows on my bed and my own pillow from home. I grabbed three of the four pillows out from beneath my covers, then shuffled off to Zak's room._  
 _I softly knocked and could hear movement within._  
  
 _“Come in. It's open,” he called._  
  
 _I pushed the ajar door open and walked on in. Zak looked surprised when he saw me._  
  
 _“Hey,” he said softly._  
  
 _He looked concerned._  
  
 _“Hey. Did you find your pillows?” I asked._  
  
 _Zak put his hands on his hips and looked over at the refrigerator._  
  
 _“I completely forgot about that,” he groaned._  
  
 _I nodded._  
  
 _“Well, here,” I said and held up my pillows._  
  
 _Zak looked down at the pillows._  
  
 _“I haven't used them,” I said._  
  
 _Zak slowly took my offering._  
  
 _“Aw, Mikey. You didn't have to do that. Those pillows will thaw,” he said._  
  
 _I shrugged and reached my collar above my nose to cough again. It sounded as brutal as it felt._  
  
 _“Just take them. I don’t mind. I know you'll wanna go to bed,” I said with a shrug._  
  
 _Zak frowned, but when he looked up at me, he tried to smile._  
  
 _“Thanks, Mikey,” he said softly._  
  
 _“I'm going to go to bed now,” I announced and padded back to the door._  
  
 _Zak followed me across the room._  
  
 _“Oh, um. Well, okay. I'm sorry you feel bad,” he said._  
  
 _I just shrugged again, too tired to come up with a decent reply._  
  
 _“I'll survive. Thanks, though,” I said._  
  
 _Zak pushed his ringed fingers into his pockets._  
  
 _“I feel bad, though. I always stick you in the worst spots on lockdowns,” he said, a hint of sympathy in his voice._  
  
 _“Don't feel bad. Just get some sleep. You look like shit,” I said jokingly._  
  
 _Zak smiled and reached out to hug me, but I backed away. He dropped his arms, the saddest look I had ever seen crossed his face._  
  
 _“I don't want you to get sick. You get mean when you're sick,” I said._  
  
 _“I won't get sick, Mikey. Come here. I feel bad for you,” he said._  
  
 _Not being able to ignore him, I walked into him and hugged him. When we pulled away, I turned away and sneezed._  
  
 _“Oh my God, my nose!” I groaned._  
  
 _“Go on and get some sleep. If you need me to run and get you something, just call,” he said._  
  
 _I nodded._  
  
 _“Thank-you, Zak,” I said._  
  
 _Zak smiled._  
  
 _“Welcome. Sleep tight, Mikes,” he said._  
  
 _“Goodnight, Zak,” I said as I went back to my room and shut the door to change into a sweatshirt and a pair of oversized “Big Steppin'” sweatpants that Aaron had given me._  
  
 _I snuggled into bed, but sleep wouldn't come for my developing headache and increasing chills._  
  
 _I had probably gotten an hour or two of sleep when I woke up. I awoke around 7:30 p.m. My room was hot as hell. I pulled off my covers and ripped the sweatshirt off of me, then grabbed a tank top from my suitcase and was going to go use the bathroom when there was a knock at the door. I groaned and went to open it. If the boys had called shenanigans again, I was going to slam the door in their faces._  
 _When I opened the door, I jumped in surprise._  
  
 _“Shit,” I groaned, rubbing my head when a wave of dizziness washed over me._  
  
 _Zak was standing in front of me in a large black denim jacket adorned with cross patches and black sweats._  
  
 _“Hey, how are you feeling?” he asked._  
  
 _I pushed my hair out of my face. I knew I looked terrible._  
  
 _“Like shit,” I replied._  
  
 _Zak pouted._  
  
 _“I'm sorry,” he apologized._  
  
 _I leaned against the door jamb and propped my head against it. It was then I noticed Zak carrying a couple of bags and an egg carton tray of drinks, familiar yellow, white and green lettering adorning the packaging._  
  
 _“What is all this?” I asked_  
  
 _He smiled innocently._  
  
 _“Thought you might be hungry. Grabbed some footlongs from across the street. You up to eating anything?”_  
  
 _Intrigued, I examined the food in his hands. I could smell bread, and my stomach immediately growled._  
  
 _“Kind of, now that you mention it,” I replied._  
  
 _He picked one of the bags from his hands and held it up._  
  
 _“Your favorite. Ham and cheese. Not toasted. There’s cookies and chips on there, as well,” he said._  
  
 _I smiled at him and took the bag._  
  
 _“Don’t tell the guys I said this, but you’re my favorite,” I said jokingly._  
  
 _Zak laughed._  
  
 _“I’m everyone’s favorite,” he said smugly._  
  
 _I invited Zak in and set my sub on the counter in the kitchenette. I went ahead and used the bathroom as previously planned before returning to my bed to clear off some of my things, like my phone and laptop. Zak grabbed my sub bag and handed me one of the drinks._  
  
 _“How much sleep did you get?” he asked as he threw away his plastic bag._  
  
 _I groaned and sat on the edge of my bed._  
  
 _“Not much,” I replied._  
  
 _Zak looked over at me. He seemed concerned by this._  
  
 _“Well,” he went on, “what have you been up to?”_  
  
 _We maneuvered ourselves against the headboard, placing our food in our laps and drinks on the side tables._  
  
 _“Watching cartoons,” I replied._  
  
 _Zak snorted a laugh as pulled his jacket off, spotting Looney Toons muted on the TV._  
  
 _“Wow, Mikes,” he said._  
  
 _I reached for my cup and took a sip. It felt so good going down. The back of my throat was so raw from coughing._  
 _Zak reached behind me to grab the remote and unmuted the TV._  
  
 _“You can change that if you want,” I said._  
  
 _Zak went ahead and began flipping through channels. I opened my sandwich and bit into it. I could taste just a little bit better than I could this morning, and my stomach was rejoicing._  
  
 _“There's nothing on!” Zak complained._  
  
 _He flipped over the Discovery Channel and I instantly stopped him when he hit the Travel Channel._  
  
 _“Ghost Adventures is on!” I said with a mouthful of ham and bread, grabbing at his arm as he was trying to keep the remote out of reach._  
  
 _“Mikey, we're not watching this!” he said sternly._  
  
 _“I haven't seen this one!” I whined._  
  
 _“This is from season one!” he argued._  
  
 _I had to pull away from him to cough._  
  
 _“Fine. Since you're sick, we'll watch it,” he said, giving up and handing the remote back to me._  
  
 _“Yay!”_  
  
 _Zak just shook his head and smiled._  
  
 _We laid back after finishing our dinner. We only talked during commercials and I tried not to cough over the show, but there were times where I couldn't help it. Two hours into our mini-marathon, I erupted into a coughing fit and had to quickly sit up and grab my drink to pacify my irritated throat._  
  
 _“Mikey, you're sounding worse,” Zak observed._  
  
 _I took another drink and was finally able to breathe._  
  
 _“I feel worse,” I grumbled._  
  
 _Zak picked up the empty bags we had managed to push to the foot of the bed and stood to throw them away. When he returned, he walked to my side of the bed and felt my forehead and cheeks with the backs of his fingers._  
  
 _“You're a little warm. Not too bad,” he concluded._  
  
 _Warm? My toes were like ice!_  
  
 _“Then, why am I so cold?” I asked._  
  
 _Zak's eyes went soft. I knew he felt bad for making me stay in the cold, drafty room, and even more so now that I had a cold._  
 _Zak returned to his spot and lifted the covers, crawling in._  
  
 _“Come here,” he said._  
  
 _I slowly did as was told, unsure of his plan. I laid down on my side facing him with one freezing hand under my face and the other stuffed under the cool pillow. Zak adjusted himself, and I froze in shock when he wrapped his arms around me, locking me against his chest._  
  
 _“Warm?” he asked._  
  
 _I wanted to argue, but I didn't have the strength when his body heat transferred to me._  
  
 _“Yes,” I replied._  
  
 _Zak reached over my side and grabbed the remote, turning the TV off._  
  
 _“Zak?” I asked._  
  
 _“Yeah?”_  
  
 _I really didn't know what to think about this._  
  
 _“This is awkward,” I said._  
  
 _Zak chuckled._  
  
 _“Mikey, shut up and sleep. You've had a long ass day,” he said._  
  
 _I sighed and zipped my lips in defeat. I let my eyes drift up his chest to see Zak with messy, limp hair, closed eyes, and his lips resting in a flat line, looking 100 percent at peace. I looked back down to his chest and the silver winged skull pendant dangling from a necklace. I had never asked what it was or what it meant, but Zak was a little bit private about his things like that._  
  
 _“Hey, Zak?” I asked softly,“Thanks for dinner. You didn't have to do that.”_  
  
 _Zak's eyes opened and he stared at me for a minute before smiling warmly._  
  
 _“Welcome, Mikey,” he said softly._  
  
 _Too tired to think anymore, and feeling better in Zak's company, I closed my eyes and absently snuggled deeper into him before I fell asleep._  
  
***  
  
    When I returned to Zak’s after picking up his groceries, Billy called as soon as I walked into the kitchen. I cursed under my breath and set the bags down, trying my hardest to be quiet in case Zak was still asleep.  
  
“Hello?” I answered as I wrestled with the bags.   
  
“Hey, Mikey,” Billy answered, “I was just calling to check in. See how you were. You doing okay?”  
  
    I smiled as I reached into a bag to grab a package of chicken breasts to put in the refrigerator.  
  
“I’m good, Billy. Haven’t really had much time to feel down,” I replied.   
  
    I set the chicken in the meat drawer and returned to the bags. I gave up putting things away so I could hear Billy over the rustling of plastic.   
    Billy chuckled.  
  
“Zak probably hasn’t let you have a minute to yourself, has he?” he teased.  
  
    I laughed at that.  
  
“Maybe if he was feeling good,” I replied.   
  
    I could almost feel the worry through the phone.  
  
“What do you mean?” he asked, concern lacing his words.  
  
    I sighed and leaned against the island.  
  
“I found him passed out on the couch this morning. He said he got dizzy and had to lay down. He’s coughing and running a temperature.”  
  
“Ah, hell!” Billy groaned.  
  
“I’m thinking it’s probably from breathing in the smoke and ash from the other night. We were probably out there too long,” I said.  
  
    I heard Billy sigh.  
  
“Yeah, he has a hard time around smoke. Probably gave him an infection,” he said.  
  
    I reached into a CVS bag and picked up a new thermometer. I didn’t know if Zak had one, but I wasn’t going to hunt the whole house looking. Now he had one, for sure.  
  
“How’s he doing right now?” Billy asked.  
  
    I peered around the corner into the living room. The television was on, the volume lowered. I tip-toed in and peeked over the couch. Zak’s glasses were on the coffee table, and the man himself was dead to the world. I smiled, glad to see he was getting his nap out.  
  
“He’s asleep,” I said to Billy, then retreated to the kitchen.  
  
“Good,” he said, “Well, do you need me to get anything? I know he can be a handful when he’s sick.”  
  
    I let out a humorless laugh. A sick Zak was not unfamiliar to me.  
  
“No, that’s okay. I got everything we need. We’re set for at least tonight,” I replied, “When he wakes up, I’m going to try and get him to take his temperature. Get it down if it’s still high. Apparently, he had an interview at the museum tonight. He’s not going if he still has a fever. I just hope I don’t have to drive him to the E.R.”  
  
    Billy laughed.  
  
“But, I got his medicine and his weird juice and I’m going to fix lunch here in a minute. See if I can get some food down him,” I continued.   
  
    Billy was silent for a moment.  
  
“You know, Mikes, I’m glad you’re there with him,” he finally said.   
  
    I put my hand on my hip, absently watching the waterfall beyond the kitchen window.   
  
“Why? So you guys won’t have to put up with him?” I retorted.  
  
    Billy just laughed.  
  
“No!” he replied.  
  
    His tone then turned worryingly dark.  
  
“I’m just glad he has someone there to take care of him and make sure he’s okay. I don’t know if Aaron told you about the hell of a time we’ve had with him,” he replied.   
  
    Now I was concerned.  
  
“He said he’s been a little lost, what with his dad passing away and staff members quitting all the time,” I replied.   
  
    Billy sighed.   
  
“Mikey, he’s been in a dark place. I mean…I’ve never seen him so depressed. I came over when I could and called when I couldn’t. Aaron kept in touch and was coming over a lot, but I think that slowed down here recently. Still texted him, though.”  
  
    I bit my lip in thought and leaned against the counter.  
  
“Jesus, Bill,” I breathed out, “You don’t think he was starting to get self-destructive, do you?”  
  
“I don’t know. That’s just it. I don’t know.”  
  
“Well, you don’t think he was being influenced by a dark energy? Maybe?” I asked.  
  
“No, we did sit and discuss that. He’s as far from dark energy as he’s been since I’ve known him. Which is kind of crazy, considering the museum,” he replied.   
  
    I laughed at that.   
  
“True,” I said.  
  
    We were quiet for a moment.  
  
“I do know that I have not seen that light in his eyes like I saw yesterday in weeks,” he said, “I think you coming back has already helped him a lot.”  
  
    I just rolled my eyes.  
  
“Well, he seems like the same old Zak to me,” I said.   
  
“He’s got his Mikey back,” Billy said playfully.   
  
    I scoffed.  
  
“Shut up, Billy!” I snapped.   
  
    Billy just laughed.  
  
“I’m serious, though. We’re all glad you’re back, and I’m glad you’re taking care of him. I know he’s in good hands,” he said.   
  
    I smiled to myself.   
  
“Thanks, Billy,” I replied shyly.  
  
    In the living room, I could hear rustling, followed by a wet, strangled cough. I cringed.  
  
“I think Zak just woke up,” I said.  
  
“Okay. If you need me, call. I’ll probably check in tonight. Don’t let him get away with murder,” he said.   
  
“Trust me,” I replied, “I won’t.”  
  
    Billy chuckled, and with that, we said our goodbyes and ended the call. I set my phone down on the island and reached into the CVS bag, grabbing a box of flu and cold medicine and the thermometer. As I walked around the corner to the dining room, however, Zak approached, hair a mess with his blanket wrapped around him.  
  
“Shit!” I hissed, “You scared me!”  
  
    Zak gave me a sideways smile.   
  
“Sorry, Mikes. How was your trip? Did you have trouble finding anything?” he asked.  
  
“No, I got everything,” I replied, “How are you feeling?”  
  
    He shrugged and shook his head.  
  
“Like hell. I had the interview postponed,” he said.   
  
    I nodded.   
  
“Good,” I replied.   
  
“Then, my mom called,” he sighed.   
  
“Ah, hell!”  
  
    Zak laughed, then coughed into his blanket.  
  
“Told her about the interview being postponed and everything,” he continued.  
  
    I nodded.  
  
“Is she freaking out that you’re sick?” I asked.  
  
“She was until I told her you were here and I was taken care of,” he replied.  
  
    I smiled and walked back to the island to grab a few things.  
  
“Guess she thinks you’re babysitting me. She remembers how you used to mom us to death,” he continued.   
  
    I popped the packaging for the thermometer open and turned it on.   
  
“Well, she’s not wrong. Here,” I said.   
  
    Zak opened his mouth to speak, but was silenced when I placed the device in his mouth and gently pushed his chin back up.   
  
“The hell?” he asked.  
  
    He reached up to take it out.   
  
“Nah-ah-ah!” I scolded, “Take your temperature.”  
  
“Mikey!” he whined, but kept the thermometer in his mouth.   
  
    I tossed the packaging in the trash. The thermometer beeped. Zak took it out and read it.   
  
“99.4°F,” he said.   
  
    I took the thermometer and reached up to feel his cheeks.   
  
“You don’t feel as hot as you were,” I observed.  
  
    I noticed he had been sweating. Pieces of hair were stuck to his forehead.  
  
“I’m not dizzy anymore. I still feel congested, though,” he said.   
  
    I nodded and handed him a box of pills.  
  
“Those should help reduce your fever and bring down the inflammation,” I said, then shrugged, “Make you feel better for a few hours.”  
  
    Zak had this weird look on his face as he absently twisted the box within his fingers. He raised an eyebrow and smirked. I decided to ignore it.   
  
“Are you up to eating? I was going to make lunch,” I offered.  
  
    Zak looked surprised.  
  
“Really?” he asked, “You don’t have to do that.”  
  
    I huffed in aggravation.  
  
“Well, you feel bad and I wanna help,” I replied.  
  
    Zak smiled at that.   
  
“And I appreciate it. I really do,” he said.  
  
    He gave my shoulder a squeeze as he walked by me to retrieve a glass.   
  
“I’ll make dinner, though,” he went on.  
  
    I smiled.   
  
“Deal.”  
  
    Zak took two of the sinus pills and chugged half a glass of water.  
  
“Okay,” he said, setting the glass in the sink, “I’ll help you put the rest of the groceries away. I’m going to take a shower first, though. My head feels like it’s going to explode.”  
  
    I nodded and watched as he shuffled back up to me. He gave me this goofy smile and hugged me. I squealed and tried to squirm out of his hold.   
  
“Stop! You’re going to get me sick!” I playfully whined.   
  
    Zak just laughed.   
  
“Quit you’re damn squirming!” he growled.  
  
    I let my arms fall to my sides and obeyed.  
  
“I just wanted to say thank you,” he said quietly.  
  
    I closed my eyes and hugged him.  
  
“You’re welcome,” I replied.   
  
    Zak didn’t let go for a moment. I heard a crackly chuckle rumble through his chest.  
  
“Even if this is revenge for getting you sick the last time,” he said.  
  
    I snorted and shoved him away.   
  
“Go take a shower!” I snapped.  
  
    Zak laughed and finally left the kitchen.  
  
“Love you, Mikey!” he called as he walked through the living room and down the hall, a cough echoed throughout the house.  
  
    I smiled and shook my head.  
  
“Yeah. Love you, too,” I called back.  
  
    When I heard a door within the opposite side of the house shut, I laughed and rolled my eyes.  
  
“Asshole.”  
  
    Later on, after Zak and I ate, he felt good enough to get caught up on house chores. I helped with the dishes. He decided to make chicken soup for tonight, and had it slow-cooking in the crockpot. Afterwards, he did laundry and I cleaned and disinfecting the living room. By that night, though, his energy was spent. He only managed to get half a bowl of soup down before passing out on the couch. What worried me, however, was his breathing. He was sounding worse than he had this morning. I feared bronchitis or pneumonia, and debated about whether to call his mother, or call Billy again.   
    I watched him as he lay in the fetal position, buried under several blankets, mouth wide open, as he was too congested to breathe through his nose. The rattling in his chest was unsettling, and all I could think about was the night we almost lost him in that hotel basement. I moved from my spot on the loveseat to the couch. I sat on the edge and felt his forehead. His fever had broken after his shower, and it remained that way since. I then felt his chest. I could feel the rumbling of air passing over god knows what as he breathed.    
    Scared, I grabbed my phone from the coffee table and retreated to the kitchen, clicking on Billy’s name was I walked.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!


End file.
